Should you decide to seek treatment, there are a number of options that you have. It is important that you feel comfortable with your decision, and seeking a 2nd opinion from a specialist will help to ease doubts you may have regarding the right treatment for you.
Here are a few procedures available for treatment of conditions involving pelvic pain.
Non and minimally invasive procedures -
Laproscopy
- A procedure that allows a health care provider to look directly at the contents of a patient's abdomen or pelvis
- The purpose of this examination is to actually see if a problem exists that has not been found with other tests. Inflammation of pelvic organs and tumors of the ovaries may be diagnosed laparoscopically.
- Also called "band-aid" surgery because only small incisions are needed to accommodate the small surgical instruments that are used to view the abdominal contents and perform the surgery.
Endometrial ablation
- Performed on an outpatient basis or in a doctor's office with mild anesthetic and has a very quick recovery. In this minimally invasive procedure, the lining of the uterus is destroyed via freezing, electricity, microwaves, radiofrequency (radio waves) or hot water.
Magnetic resonance imaging-guided focused ultrasound
- A noninvasive method uses an MRI to precisely target ultrasound energy, which is sent through the abdomen and focused on the fibroid. The fibroid tissue is destroyed.
Invasive procedures -
Hysterectomy
- While very effective in ending uterine bleeding, it is a major surgical procedure that requires hospitalization and weeks of recuperation. Additionally, it can have several complications.
- Hysterectomy should be a last resort for women whose only medical problem is heavy bleeding.