Thermachoice Endometrial Ablation

Last Updated on Thursday, 02 June 2011 19:07

I offer in-office balloon endometrial ablation for heavy bleeding.

Heavy periods, also referred to as menorrhagia, can be a serious disruption to daily living. Many women with heavy periods express anxiety about the possibility of embarrassing bleeding accidents, have heavy flow that includes large blood clot passage, and experience severe pain and cramping while on the menstrual cramping. Constantly changing tampons or pads is not only inconvenient but can also be quite expensive if one considers the cost of purchasing these products. Just ask yourself, do you experience on or more of the following difficult and disruptive symptoms.

• Menstrual flow that soaks through one or more tampons or pads every hour for several consecutive hours.
• Fear and anxiety about embarrassing bleeding accidents.
• Severe pain or cramping on your periods.
• Periods that last longer than seven days.
• Heavy menstrual flow even while taking birth control pills.
• Menstrual flow that includes large blood clots.
• Exhaustion and fatigue during your periods.
• If you experience these symptoms while on your menstrual period, the ThermaChoice Endometrial Ablation may be a solution for you.

Who is not a candidate for endometrial ablation?

It should be noted that the endometrial ablation procedure is intended to treat premenopausal women with heavy bleeding due to benign causes who do not wish to become pregnant.

• A patient who is pregnant or wants to become pregnant in the future.
• Patients with known or suspected uterine cancer.
• Patients with certain uterine conditions.
• Patients with active infections.
• Patients with an intrauterine device currently in place.Please keep in mind that Dr. Lowden will discuss these considerations with you at the time of your consultation. It may be necessary to perform additional testing for the doctor to determine whether the endometrial thermal ablation procedure is appropriate in treating your heavy period symptoms.

Essure Tubal Sterilization

Last Updated on Thursday, 02 June 2011 17:44

Essure tubal sterilization is a gentle procedure for permanent birth control, which can be done right in my office. Now a permanent form of birth control is available without requiring surgery, burning, or the risks of getting tubes tied through abdominal incisions. The Essure procedure blocks the Fallopian tubes so the the egg and sperm never meet, so conception never occurs. Essure has been trusted by hundreds of thousands of women and their doctors, and five year data has demonstrated that Essure is the most effective form of permanent birth control available.

Just look at the advantages offered by Essure over other birth control methods:

• No surgery, burning, or anesthesia required
• No hormones
• No slowing down to recover
• Short 10 minutes procedure time
• The most effective of permanent birth control available
• Performed right in my office
• and most importantly, you will never have to worry about unplanned pregnancy again

The inside of the uterus is first examined with a narrow telescope called a hysteroscope. This allows the doctor to visualize where the Fallopian tubes open into the cavity of the uterus.

Next, a catheter is threaded through the hysteroscope and into the Fallopian tube. The Essure micro insert is placed in the Fallopian tube as the catheter is removed. This procedure is repeated for the other Fallopian tube.

Over the next three months, body tissue grows into the Essure micro insert forming a natural barrier which prevents sperm from reaching the eggs. After three months, an x-ray study called a hysterosalpingogram (HSG) is performed to be sure that the tubes are completely blocked. This confirmation test provides you with verification that you are protected from the worries of an unplanned pregnancy.

For more information, check out http://essure.com/Home/Resources/ProcedureAnimation/tabid/157/Default.aspx

da Vinci Robotic Hysterectomy

Last Updated on Thursday, 02 June 2011 17:08

da Vinci robotic hysterectomy is a minimally invasive procedure allowing doctors to perform hysterectomies through small incisions, less than one inch in size. This state of the art surgical system is designed to help your doctor perform the most precise and least invasive hysterectomy available today.

Although hysterectomy can sometimes be performed through the vagina, many women are not candidates for vaginal hysterectomy. Traditionally, for those an open abdominal hysterectomy is usually performed. Open abdominal hysterectomies typically requires a large amount abdominal incision which not only can be more painful but also carry increased risk of infection and significant blood loss. In addition, a long recovery is necessary (often six weeks) and patients may not be happy with the scar left by the incision.

Now there is an alternative; a minimally invasive procedure for hysterectomy utilizing the da Vinci Surgical System. The da Vinci robotic hysterectomy uses small abdominal incisions (less than one inch size), leading to significantly less pain and minimal scarring as compared to the open abdominal approach.

In performing a da Vinci robotic hysterectomy, a small camera is placed into the abdomen through a small incision below the navel. This allows the surgeon to sit at a console and view the pelvis on a high resolution 3D video monitor. The surgeon's hand movements are duplicated inside the patent by the robot. The da Vinci system duplicates fine wrist movements of the surgeon, allowing the doctor to perform precision surgery, including suturing delicate tissue under 3D visualization.

For most women, the da Vinci hysterectomy offers numerous potential benefits over traditional surgical approaches, including:

• Significantly less pain
• Less blood loss and need for transfusion
• Lower risk of infection
• Shorter hospital stay
• Quicker recovery and return to normal activities
• Small incisions with minimal scarring