Help for mennrohagia?

i was a bleeder for years and was convinced it was just my body's way of entering menopause. some gyn's wanted me to take a low dose of progesterone (provera) but i decided i would not do that and just put up with the bleeding naturally. then last october i had a uterine biopsy and it came back for the first time ( i was having yearly biopsies done since 2005) with precancerous cells... then thru a D&C it was discovered that it was actually stage one uterine cancer... and in feb i had to have a total hysterectomy.... they take everything even the cervix.
If someone had told me that by not taking the progesteone it could have helped me NOT develop stage 1 uterine cancer i would have taken the progest wellingly. I dont know that the progest pills would have staved off uterine cancer of course, but i beleive that the possiblity is there.
No gyn ever sat me down and told me that all this bleeding would make me a prime candidate for uterine cancer and i wish one of them had... maybe just maybe i would have taken the progest pills and still have my female parts. then again, maybe not
the bleeding should be taken seriously and a clear and thorough discussion with your gyn is inorder. follow through

Do you know what is the reason for your menorrhagia? There are quite a few conditions that could cause excessive uterine bleeding. Among them could be endometriosis, fybromas, hormonal imbalance, abnormal blood coagulation rate... It's all worth checking out. Surgery is always an option, but it's so much easier to cut something out then to try and restore the balance. Not to mention that surgery in many cases does not solve all the problems, unfortunately.

I'd definitely suggest Oriental Medicine - acupuncture and Chinese herbs might be very helpful in a problem like yours. Look for a licensed acupuncturist in your area, preferrably one who is specializing in women's health and discuss all the tratment options they can offer.

Good luck!
Best wishes,

Taya Volin, L.Ac.,C.A.,Dipl.Ac.(NCCAOM),MD (Russia)
Absolute Balance Acupuncture Clinic
1-800-228-9119; 201-916-0509
www.acupuncturenynj.com

Have you ever tried acupuncture? It's the only thing that worked for me.

have you had your thyroid checked? seems like a disfunctional thyroid can be the cause of many problems... maybe turn your attention to this issue and put the abulation decision off until more information is obtained
good luck
cc

Here is some other information regarding endometrial ablation and hysterectomy that I found, and hope are helpful in your decision.

Ablation
I found an online brochure on endometrial ablation that explains the treatment and recovery of this procedure:
http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp134.cfm

Hysterectomy
You may find this study interesting by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (please note, it is from eight years ago):
http://www.greenjournal.org/cgi/content/full/95/2/199
[Source: Obstetrics & Gynecology 2000;95:199-205]

Summary of the above clinical study, "The Appropriateness of Recommendations for Hysterectomy":
- The most common reasons for hysterectomy are fibroids (leiomyomata), pelvic pain and excessive bleeding (menorrhagia)
- 70% of hysterectomies from the cases studied were "judged to be recommended inappropriately", due to not meeting AGOG criteria for hysterectomy or not trying other remedies first
- "...bleeding is just a symptom, not a disease, and you need to know the cause [of bleeding]..."

It sounds like in your case the cause of bleeding is from a hormonal imbalance. What type of hormonal imbalance has your doctor diagnosed?

According to the Health System at UVA, there are many possible causes of menorrhagia:
- hormonal imbalance
- pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
- uterine fibroids
- abnormal pregnancy (i.e., miscarriage, ectopic)
- infection, tumors, or polyps in the pelvic cavity
- certain birth control devices (i.e., IUDs)
- bleeding or platelet disorders
- high levels of prostaglandins
- high levels of endothelins
- liver, kidney, or thyroid disease

Treatment Options for Non-Cancerous Uterine Conditions
http://www.ahrq.gov/research/uterine.htm
provides a chart for treatment alternatives, but is from over ten years ago...you may want to show your doctor the chart, and ask for the most recent source from the US Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) or American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

Summary of Chart (USDHHS, 1995)
- "Evidence regarding the effectiveness and relative effectiveness of hysterectomy and alternative treatments is seriously lacking"
- "For dysfunctional bleeding, compare the outcomes of alternative treatments, including medical treatments, surgical alternatives (endometrial ablation and hysterectomy), and watchful waiting."

Has your doctor talked with you about medical treatments, as it sounds like you already know about the surgical treatment options (ablation and hysterectomy), and you have probably opted out of, or have done, the "watchful waiting"