5 Common Causes of Heavy Menstrual Bleeding
Understanding the causes of heavy menstrual bleeding can help inform effective treatment or at least symptom relief. Here, the team discusses five common causes of heavy bleeding.
Benefits of a Hysteroscopy
If you’re suffering from troublesome symptoms that interrupt your life, it’s essential to understand the root cause to ensure the best treatment. Modern medicine provides many imaging tools, such as ultrasound, which allow doctors to examine your body with non-invasive methods.
Sometimes, however, noninvasive methods aren’t sufficient for an accurate diagnosis. The good news is that doctors have found a way to more closely examine — and even treat — many gynecological issues without the need for surgery by using hysteroscopy.
Board-certified OB/GYN Asia Mohsin, MD, and the team at Progressive Women’s Health in Friendswood, Texas, specialize in using hysteroscopy as a diagnostic tool and treatment method for women with varying gynecological problems.
To help put your mind at ease about the procedure, we’ve put together information about hysteroscopy and its many benefits.
What is a hysteroscopy?
A hysteroscopy can be performed to examine the inside of your cervix and uterus and also to treat gynecological problems. To reach the area, Dr. Mohsin inserts a flexible, lighted tube, called a hysteroscope, through your vagina.
To examine an area, the hysteroscope transmits images from your uterus to a screen. To treat a gynecological problem, miniature tools are passed through the hysteroscope to perform the treatment.
Why might my provider recommend a hysteroscopy?
Based on your symptoms and preliminary findings, Dr. Mohsin may recommend hysteroscopy as a diagnostic tool, a treatment, or both.
Diagnostic hysteroscopy
Diagnostic hysteroscopy is an outpatient procedure that Dr. Mohsin can perform to uncover the cause of your symptoms. It’s most frequently performed in patients struggling with infertility, heavy bleeding, and women who have had multiple miscarriages.
Other reasons Dr. Mohsin may recommend a diagnostic hysteroscopy include:
- Bleeding after menopause
- Abnormal Pap test results
- Biopsy of the uterine lining
Treatment hysteroscopy
Dr. Mohsin can perform a treatment hysteroscopy to correct the issue uncovered during the diagnostic portion. Sometimes she may be able to treat you in the same visit, and at other times a follow-up hysteroscopy may be required.
Some of the treatments Dr. Mohsin may perform during a hysteroscopy include:
- Removal of fibroids
- Removal of polyps
- Correcting IUDs that have moved
- Removal of scar tissue
In addition, Dr. Mohsin can perform an endometrial ablation to remove the lining of your uterus if you’ve experienced heavy bleeding that hasn’t been helped by other treatments.
What are the benefits of a hysteroscopy?
Hysteroscopies offer many benefits when compared to other, more invasive gynecological procedures. In many cases, hysteroscopies are:
- Performed on an outpatient basis
- Less painful than other alternatives
- Able to help patients avoid a hysterectomy
- Able to help patients avoid open surgical procedures
Furthermore, the procedures often have shorter recovery times than the alternatives, and the procedures are very safe. In fact, less than 1% of women who undergo a procedure experience complications.
How do I know if a hysteroscopy is right for me?
The best way to learn if a hysteroscopy is right for you is by meeting with Dr. Mohsin to go over your symptoms and health history. If you’re experiencing heavy bleeding, severe cramping, multiple miscarriages, or trouble getting pregnant, Dr. Mohsin may recommend this procedure.
Before determining a treatment protocol, however, Dr. Mohsin will perform a careful evaluation of your symptoms and conduct a physical exam. She may also order additional testing or imaging studies, such as an ultrasound, before recommending a hysteroscopy.
If you want to learn more about the benefits of a hysteroscopy, Dr. Mohsin and the team at Progressive Women’s Health are here to help. Simply book an appointment online or over the phone or take advantage of our telemedicine appointments.
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