Heavy Menstrual Bleeding
Heavy periods are a common problem which can significantly interfere with the everyday life of women. When symptoms are particularly severe, the situation can negatively affect their health and quality of life, both at home and in the workplace.
Heavy periods do not always have an underlying cause but they can result from problems such as fibroids or endometriosis, so if you are badly affected and you wish to improve your situation, it is important to get your symptoms checked out.
In the past, women with unacceptable, persistently heavy periods were treated with hysterectomy; indeed, for many years, hysterectomy was the only treatment available. Removing the uterus clearly stops periods but is significant surgery to undergo and can leave women with other issues or complications.
Any treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding should really focus on improving a woman’s quality of life overall, not simply on the amount of blood loss with their periods. Different women may have different perspectives or desire different outcomes from any treatment; for example, some women may simply wish to reduce the heaviness of menstrual bleeding until a natural menopause, whilst others may have completed their family and simply want no further periods.
The number of patients undergoing hysterectomy in the UK has been falling; firstly many women prefer not to have major surgery unless they absolutely have to and secondly, the number of realistic alternative treatments has increased giving women choice in their healthcare.
Treatment options include various drugs (either tablets, injections or implants), endometrial ablation, hysterectomy or more minimally invasive options such as uterine artery embolisation when fibroids or adenomysosis are likely to be causing the problem.
The National Institute for Heath and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published guidance for the care and treatment of women with heavy periods as below.
We can recommend specialist Gynaecologists for you to see and investigate your condition. We can also provide your treatment if you are suitable for embolisation.
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