Q: Hi. I just put my name to be placed on your mailing list. I have read The New Menopausal Years, The Wise Woman's Way until it is falling apart. It has helped me many, many times.
I have a specific problem and don't know if you answer individual e-mails, but I will try anyway. I am 53 and had a last period in June 2005. Several months ago I started bleeding. My gyno was concerned because it was over a year. I had a biopsy in his office and he said I had a uterine polyp. Since then I have had 2 more bleeding episodes, about 4-6 weeks apart which last from 1-2 weeks. He said if it happened again I had to have a D&C. It is started up right now and I need to know if there is any alternative to doing this. I was treated for Graves' disease last year and am on Synthroid now too. Can I avoid the D&C naturally?
I appreciate any feedback. I want to come to Woodstock in the spring for any/all of the things I saw listed. I wasn't aware of this previously.
Thank you.
A: We are so glad you enjoy Susun's New Menopausal Years book! She does not have internet so does not correspond through email, however I will share your kind words with her.
Remember you do not have to have a D&C, this is your choice. Your doctor works for you and should support you as you strive to make the best decisions for your deep health.
My understanding of uterine polyps, more often called endometrial polyps, is that polyp removal can be done by hysteroscopy, the miscroscope that is inserted to see around (possibly how it was diagnosed in the first place. Polyps are usually benign but, like so much in life, can be malignant. This would offer a chance to test the tissues. If it is the cause of your bleeding, it could give a break from this. I understand they will often return. I also understand they are most common in women in their 40s and 50s. There are different thoughts on their causes. One is they are estrogen sensitive, so for this reason I wonder if you are on HRT.
I have heard menopausal women who stop for a year then bleed a bit more. It is possible, though I trust you and your doctor to determine for sure, that it is not related to the polyp. Do you know if it is just one, its size, and if it is close to the wall or pedunculated/hanging?
I trust how you feel. D&C sounds horribly invasive to me, but so does the hysteroscope or even the saline test that is sometimes done to diagnose polyps. We have to know that with most "lumps" or "abnormalities" there is potential for cancer, even if miniscule. It is a very personal decision where our line is when we choose how far we will go to determine if this is so, harming ourselves in the process.
If the polyp is the cause of the bleeding, especially if it is hanging down through the cervix, if it were me, I might actually consider its removal. Though only with the hysteroscope, even knowing another could return. As of yet I do not know another way to remove them than surgery. I wish I did. There is so much we can learn about women's health! If it were me and I were on HRT I would consider going off it. If the bleeding persists, I would also be sure to get lots of iron. Loss of blood causes loss of iron, and loss of iron causes further excessive bleeding.
Here are some sites I explored that helped educate me on the topic:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/uterine-polyps/DS00699/DSECTION=8
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/menopause/messages/82.html
http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/wha/wha_hystrepl_crs.htm
http://www-medlib.med.utah.edu/WebPath/FEMHTML/FEM022.html (a great picture)
http://www.advancedfertility.com/uterinepolyp.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/ask_the_doctor/uterinepolyp.shtml
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10577618&dopt=Abstract
http://www.gynalternatives.com/perimeno.htm
http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/womenshealth/wome3259.html
http://www.mamashealth.com/women/endopoly.asp
Please let me know if I can help further!
Blessings,
Karen Joy
[email protected]
www.wisewomanweb.com
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