Eagleridge Women's Healthcare

Hysteroscopy:
Hysteroscopy is a procedure that allows a gynecologist to look inside your uterus. The hysteroscope is a long tube, about the size of a straw, which has a small camera. Hysteroscopy is useful for diagnosing and treating some problems that cause infertility, miscarriages, and abnormal menstrual bleeding.
During this procedure your doctor may decide to take a biopsy to make sure that there are no cancer cells.



Endometrial Ablation:
Endometrial ablation is a procedure to destroy the endometrium - the lining of your womb or uterus. No incisions are needed for endometrial ablation. Your doctor will insert slender tools through your cervix - the doorway between your vagina and your uterus.

We offer a type of endometrial ablation that can be done in our office, while others must be performed in an operating room. Factors such as the size and condition of your uterus will help determine which endometrial ablation method is most appropriate.

Endometrial ablation is a treatment for excessive menstrual blood loss, characterized by:
" Unusually heavy periods most months
" Enough blood loss to soak through a pad or tampon every hour on the heaviest days
" Anemia from excessive blood loss.

While medications are typically the first line of treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding, endometrial ablation may be an option if medications don't help.

Endometrial ablation is not recommended for women who:
" Wish to become pregnant in the future
" Have significant cramping with menstrual periods
" Have cancer of the uterus
" Were recently pregnant
" Are past menopause



Hysteroscopic Sterilization:
Hysteroscopic sterilization is the "plugging up" of the fallopian tubes to prevent fertilization. The Essure tubal ligation method, which works in this way, was FDA-approved in 2002 and requires no incisions. During this procedure, two small metal springs (known as micro-inserts) are placed in each fallopian tube. Over time, the coil implants will trigger scar tissue to grow around them. The scar tissue serves to permanently block the tubes. The implants are inserted without surgery or general anesthesia. The procedure takes about 30 minutes and is typically performed in an outpatient surgery center or hospital that does not require an overnight stay.
almost all working women resumed work within 24 hours or less. The majority of women returned to normal activities within 1 to 2 days, but many women reported that they were able to resume normal physical activities the same day as the procedure.

After having the Essure permanent birth control procedure, women have reported experiencing:
You can resume sexual intercourse as soon as you feel up to it, and it does not cause pain. For most women, this takes about one week after surgery.

It is essential that you use a back-up birth control method for the first 3 months after the Essure insertion. It takes about this amount of time for the scar tissue to build up around the coils, thereby blocking the fallopian tubes. Until it is confirmed that the tubes are blocked, another contraceptive method must be used.

A test called a hysterosalpingogram (HSG) is performed three months after your Essure procedure to confirm whether or not the fallopian tubes are permanently blocked. This test should be scheduled in the week after your period to ensure that you are not pregnant.



Colposcopy:
Colposcopy is a simple, 10- to 15-minute procedure that is painless and performed in a gynecologist's office. You are positioned on the examination table like you are for a Pap smear, and an acetic acid (such as common table vinegar) is placed on the cervix.

Your physician will use a colposcope -- a large, electric microscope that is positioned approximately 30 cm from the vagina -- to view your cervix. A bright light on the end of the colposcope lets the gynecologist clearly see the cervix.

If your physician can view the entire abnormal area through the colposcope, a tissue sample or biopsy is taken from the whitest abnormal areas and sent to the lab for further evaluation.



LEEP: (loop electrosurgical excision procedure)
The LEEP procedure is one of several procedures your doctor has available to help diagnose and treat abnormal cervical cells.
LEEP uses a thin wire loop electrode which is attached to an electrosurgical generator. The generator transmits a painless electrical current that quickly cuts away the affected cervical tissue in the immediate area of the loop wire. This causes the abnormal cells to rapidly heat and burst, and separates the tissue as the loop wire moves through the cervix.

This technique allows your physician to send the excised tissue to the lab for further evaluation which insures that the lesion was completely removed, as well as allowing for a more accurate assessment of the abnormal area.

You may want to ask your doctor if it's OK to take an over-the-counter pain reliever such as ibuprofen before your procedure to help minimize any pain. Never take any drug before any medical procedure without explicitly asking your doctor about it.