Well, heck. How could I have forgotten the bleeding?!..I had that, too. It lasted for a month or more.
I hope you get good results!!
There are loads of different methods for removing the lining of the uterus. These include cutting it away under direct vision with an operating hysteroscope (TCRE-trans cervial resection of the endometrium), microwave ablation with a Novasure device or similar, or even Thermal Balloon Ablation where a balloon is inserted into the uterus, filled with water and then heated to 80 degrees celsius to burn away the lining.
I’ve performed TBAs, they’re simple, the machine is idiot-proofed and fail-safed to a ridiculous degree and all the operator has to do is sound and measure the cavity, insert the balloon, fill it with water and hold it steady during the treatment cycle.
All methods have roughly the same complication and failure rates and similar levels of patient acceptibility. Which method your Gynaecologist uses will depend on their own preference, experience and on which equipment they’ve shelled out large amounts of money for! I’d take someone who had years of practice in any method over someone new to the latest “best” ablation technique.
As to fertility- is it not a contraceptive as such, as it is still possible to get pregnant- BUT the pregnancy will not have implanted into the proper tissue, and there is a risk of severe maternal bleeding requiring hysterectomy as the placenta may be implanted deeply into the uterine muscle. As the procedure also causes adhesions in the cavity, there is a risk of an amniotic band like syndrome in the foetus, which may cause severe limb abnormalities. A lot of people won’t do ablations on someone unless there is a non user dependent method of contraception being used.
Endometrial ablation is an alternative to hysterectomy after other methods (like Mirena Coil, hormone therapies) haven’t worked.