Many women suffer from heavy bleeding that lasts far longer than a normal menstrual cycle should. Aside from being disruptive to their work and personal schedules, some experience more serious complications like anemia, which can lead to dizziness, chest pain, irregular heartbeat, fainting, etc., and if not treated, can result in heart failure or other heart conditions.
Some women look for procedures like Minerva endometrial ablation to find relief, but many do not understand what the procedure really does or the side effects and complications that can arise afterward. Today, we are going to give you an overview of the Minerva ablation procedure, how it is done, and what you need to know before choosing this procedure to stop heavy bleeding.
What Is Minerva Endometrial Ablation?
Minerva endometrial ablation is a treatment that uses the assistance of a special medical device to destroy the lining of the uterus to reduce heavy menstrual bleeding caused by conditions such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, uterine fibroids, polyps, etc.
How Does the Minerva Ablation Procedure Work?
The Minerva procedure uses a combination of heated fluid, radiofrequency energy, and ionized argon plasma (gas that conducts electricity) to heat and remove the lining of the uterus.
This specially designed medical device is placed through the cervix and into the uterus. It uses a kind of sealing balloon that creates a closed cavity so the RF energy is spread out evenly throughout the uterus. The procedure takes only a few minutes and is designed to ablate (destroy) the uterine lining and to stop heavy bleeding. Minerva Surgical, the company that makes the medical device, calls the technique used to perform the ablation “PlasmaSense” technology.
Minerva Ablation Steps
Here are the steps typically used during the Minerva endometrial ablation procedure:
- First, the doctor will measure the size and shape of your uterus to make sure the device will fit correctly.
- Next, a small, sterile medical device is gently inserted through the cervix into the uterus.
- Once in place, a tiny balloon is inflated inside the uterus to seal the opening to the cervix, which will contain the RF energy inside the uterus.
- The device then begins the ablation cycle by releasing controlled heat and energy that removes the thin lining of the uterus.
- The treatment only takes a few minutes, and when complete, the device automatically shuts off, which causes the balloon to deflate, and the medical device is carefully removed.
- After a short observation period, patients are released to go home to begin recovery.
Recovery Time after Minerva Procedure
Most women go home the same day and are instructed to rest for at least 24 hours after their procedure. Many feel able to do light activities after about 48 hours, but it can take up to four weeks to make a full recovery and for your full energy level to return. Everyone recovers and heals at their own rate, so it may take some people longer to feel back to normal. Women need to avoid using tampons, douching, or having sex for about two weeks or until their doctor clears them.
What Are Common Side Effects After Minerva?
Uterine ablation procedures like Minerva are associated with some common side effects that usually occur in the few days following the procedure and may include:
- Unable to get pregnant in the future, or pregnancy is strongly discouraged due to the risks involved.
- Cramping that feels similar to those experienced during a menstrual period.
- Light bleeding or watery discharge that can last anywhere from a few days to weeks.
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Pelvic pain.
- Frequent urination.
These temporary Minerva side effects usually resolve on their own within a few days to a few weeks.
Minerva Ablation Complications
Rare, but more serious complications from the Minerva ablation procedure include:
- Hematometra or Hematosalpinx: Blood can get trapped inside the uterus or fallopian tubes during the procedure and become sealed off with scar tissue, causing chronic pelvic pain.
- LOEAF, or late-onset endometrial ablation failure: Bleeding or pain may return months or years later because of scar tissue or regrowth of the uterine lining.
- Post-Ablation Tubal Sterilization Syndrome (PATSS): This is a condition that can happen to women who have had their tubes tied and involves blood collecting in the fallopian tubes, causing painful swelling during their menstrual cycles.
- Urinary incontinence: This can be temporary and last just a few days after the procedure, or in some cases, the bladder or pelvic floor muscles are affected, and chronic urine leakage can become an issue.
- Hair loss: In some rare cases, women may experience hair thinning.
- Uterine perforation: A puncture is accidentally made in the uterus.
- Thermal injury: From the RF heat to the uterus or the nearby organs.
- Uterine or pelvic infections.
- Hemorrhaging
- Emergency hysterectomy: Due to excessive bleeding after the procedure.
- Need for repeat treatment: Studies have reported that around 25% of the women who undergo a uterine ablation procedure end up needing a hysterectomy after about 5 years.
Uterine Ablation Removes the Possibility of a Safe Future Pregnancy
One of the most distressing side effects of Minerva uterine ablation and similar procedures is that it permanently damages the lining of the uterus, which makes it almost impossible to become pregnant in the future. If you do become pregnant, it will be considered a very high-risk pregnancy.
Pregnancy after an ablation is extremely risky because the procedure destroys most or all of the uterine lining, which is where a fertilized egg needs to attach and grow. Without a healthy lining, your uterus cannot properly nurture a growing fetus. If conception does happen, serious complications can occur, including:
- Miscarriage
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Placenta problems
- Preterm birth or stillbirth
- Uterine rupture
Why Do Women Consider the Minerva Ablation Procedure?
Minerva endometrial ablation is sometimes recommended by an OBGYN to help alleviate prolonged heavy bleeding that women sometimes experience during their period.
A normal period should last about three to seven days, and during that time, it is normal to lose between two and three tablespoons of blood. Women who regularly soak through pads or tampons every hour, pass large clots, or feel weak, dizzy, or unusually tired are losing too much blood and need to get help to determine the underlying cause.
Minerva Ablation Does Not Eliminate Fibroids
Heavy bleeding can be caused by many different gynecological conditions, but uterine fibroids are the root cause for almost half of the women who experience it.
OBGYNs will sometimes recommend a uterine ablation procedure like Minerva or NovaSure to treat heavy bleeding, but these procedures do not eliminate fibroids. They may temporarily reduce bleeding, but if fibroids are left untreated, heavy bleeding and other fibroid-related symptoms can return.
Uterine ablation is not an effective treatment for fibroids, and procedures like Minerva ablation have side effects and long-term consequences that many women are not made aware of.
How You Can Avoid Minerva Ablation Side Effects and Complications
Many women seek out help from their gynecologist to find relief from their ongoing heavy bleeding and are given the options of either a hysterectomy or uterine ablation to help stop the bleeding. In some cases, this may be the best and most effective treatment, but if uterine fibroids are the underlying cause of heavy bleeding, there is a much safer and more effective treatment available.
If you want to avoid the side effects of Minerva ablation, uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) may be the treatment you are looking for. The procedure takes about 45 minutes, does not require surgery, is 90% effective, and eliminates fibroids without compromising your uterus.
FAQs About Minerva Ablation
What Was the Minerva Ablation Lawsuit About?
The lawsuit began in 2015 when the manufacturer of NovaSure, Hologic, sued Minerva for patent infringement and won. Minerva counter-sued, claiming the competitor’s device infringed upon their patent, but they lost the case when the court ruled that they waited too long to file an application after public disclosure.
How Does Minerva Ablation Compare to NovaSure?
Both procedures are outpatient and involve destroying the inner lining of the uterus to stop heavy bleeding using radiofrequency heat, but they use slightly different techniques. Both procedures were reported as being effective in reducing bleeding, and some women even completely stopped having periods. Reports show that NovaSure consistently demonstrated a higher amenorrhea rate than Minerva, which means that more patients experienced no periods for at least a year after their ablation (NovaSure 64% vs. Minerva 42%).
Patient testimonials for Minerva and NovaSure, are mostly positive and mention the short recovery and the reduction in bleeding each month, but some reviews have labeled the treatment “as the most traumatic treatment I have ever had done,” and some patients have reported that their bleeding became worse.
Where Can I Learn More about UFE?
Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) can help stop heavy bleeding that is caused by fibroids and adenomyosis without having to undergo surgery. Dr. Lipman at the Atlanta Fibroid Center is the world’s leading expert in UFE and has performed over 10,000 procedures, helping thousands of women from all walks of life.
Many women are advised by their OB/GYN that the only way to find relief from fibroids is through surgery, but in 90% of cases, UFE can effectively eliminate the fibroids and the heavy bleeding. OB/GYNs do not perform this procedure, and it must be done by a specialist called an interventional radiologist who has years of specialized training in this procedure.
UFE is an in-office procedure that takes about 45 minutes, and you can go home after a short observation period. During the procedure, a highly experienced interventional radiologist will use a special tool to block off the tiny blood vessels that are feeding the fibroids, and without this blood supply, they will shrink and die. Most women are back to most of their normal activities in just about a week, compared to several weeks after other procedures.
The symptoms caused by fibroids, like heavy bleeding, will be significantly reduced or totally eliminated without compromising your uterus. Many women who have had the UFE procedure later became pregnant and gave birth to full-term, healthy babies.
If you or someone you know is suffering from heavy bleeding or other common symptoms caused by uterine fibroids, the Atlanta Fibroid Center can help. Set up a consultation today with our experts, Dr. Lipman and Dr. Banerjee, and learn more about uterine fibroid embolization as an alternative to drastic procedures like surgery or Minerva uterine ablation.
