Women's Health Medicine
Volume 2, Issue 3 , Pages 25-29, May 2005

Managing menorrhagia: hysterectomy

  • Arvind Vashisht

      Affiliations

    • Arvind Vashisht is a Specialist Registrar in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at St Mary's Hospital, London. He qualified from Cambridge University and the Royal London Hospital, and trained in obstetrics and gynaecology in the northwest Thames region. He is also a Clinical Research Fellow with Professor John Studd.
    • ,
  • John Studd

      Affiliations

    • John Studd is Consultant Gynaecologist at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and Professor of Gynaecology at Imperial College. He qualified in Birmingham and trained in Southern Rhodesia and Birmingham, and has held Consultant posts in Zimbabwe, Nottingham and King's College Hospital. His research interests include menorrhagia, HRT, osteoporosis and premenstrual syndrome.

Abstract 

Menorrhagia is not only heavy periods but usually also consists of pain, bouts of depression and menstrual headaches, as well as the exhaustion and loss of libido that come with the combination of these symptoms. If medical therapy fails, the options are use of a Mirena coil or various types of endometrial ablation. A hysterectomy with or without bilateral oophorectomy should not be seen as a last option because it will remove any cyclical symptoms – not just the heavy periods. However, it is important that these women receive efficient HRT; a low dose of oestrogen is not usually sufficient. By far the best treatment involves the replacement of the lost ovarian androgens in the form of an implant of oestradiol and testosterone, repeated every 6 months.

Keywords:  menorrhagia and other menstrual problems , hysterectomy , PMS , oestradiol and testosterone implants

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PII: S1744-1870(06)00058-8

doi:10.1383/wohm.2.3.25.67177

Women's Health Medicine
Volume 2, Issue 3 , Pages 25-29, May 2005

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