Description

Women may suffer from heavy vaginal bleeding, bleeding inbetween periods (intra-menstrual bleeding) or prolonged bleeding of periods. One method to deal with these problems is to remove or destroy the lining (endometrium) of the womb (uterus) and this procedure is called endometrial ablation.

Endometrial ablation is particularly useful if a specific cause for the excessive or persistant bleeding cannot be found. Examples that cause such bleeding include polyps (non-cancerous growths) or a hormonal problem, and ablation then removes these causes as the lining of the womb is no longer present.

Some gynaecologists prefer the women to use special medication in the form of injections to thin the lining of the womb so that albation is more successful.
The whole process is done as a day case and usually under general anaesthesia.

The surgeon starts by dilating the entrance to the cervix and then inflating the cavity of the uterus with air or a special liquid so that the inside of the uterus can be seen. Then the endometrium can be destroyed in one of several different ways. Most commonly, a wire loop electrocautery device is used to burn the lining and at the same time stops bleeding from the many blood vessels. Another method is where a balloon is inserted into the womb. This is then inflated with a special liquid which is heated, so destroying the lining of the womb. Other less commonly used methods include freezing techniques, microwaves or lasers to acheive the same result.