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New alternative to hysterectomy
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 18
Women suffering from the problem of heavy bleeding during menstruation, yet reluctant to go in for hysterectomy now have the option of uterine balloon therapy ablation, introduced in the city for the first time. “The procedure, very popular in Mumbai and the West, is used to destroy the lining of the uterus to stop excessive bleeding. Merely a few hours of hospitalisation is required and the patient can be back to work within two days,” claims Dr Nirja Chawla, who has introduced the procedure at Gynae Endoscopy Centre. She said 90 per cent patients respond with decreased bleeding, while in 10 per cent it stops altogether. Dr Chawla says that in 40 per cent of women suffering from heavy menstruation, the main cause is hormonal imbalance, called dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB). Other causes could be benign conditions like fibroids and polyps, pre-cancer and cancer of the uterus, infections, disorders of blood, liver, kidney or due to the use of certain drugs like anticoagulants, steroids, chemotherapy. She adds that the drug therapy prescribed for DUB can reduce heavy bleeding in 25 to 80 per cent cases, but cannot stop it altogether. She says that a large section of these patients, become anaemic and complain of weakness, lethargy, fatigue, and irritability with an overall poor health. The procedure, a 4.5 mm catheter, with a latex balloon, is used to effectively destroy the lining of the uterus up to 3 to 7 mm. “In fact, hysterectomy, which involves removal of an organ, should be the last resort in patients with heavy periods due to dysfunctional uterine bleeding,” she adds.
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Ravinder Chaudhry