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Dr. Fermin Barrueto, Sr., Chief of Endoscopy & Pelvic Reconstruction at Mercy

Dr. Fermin Barrueto, Chief, Endoscopy & Pelvic Reconstruction At Mercy, Discusses Alternatives To Hysterectomy On WBAL-TV11's "Woman's Doctor"

While women who have problem periods are not uncommon, it's not normal as you get older, and the answer isn't always a hysterectomy.

According to Anne Laboda, she started having problems with her menstrual cycle about five years ago, and the problems had a big effect on her life.

"Severe cramps, pain, headaches and more frequent periods," she said.

Those issues finally brought her to Mercy Medical Center's Dr. Fermin Barrueto, Sr., Chief of Endoscopy and Pelvic Reconstruction. He said for a woman to have pain and heavy, more frequent periods is common, but not normal.

"That doesn't mean the patient necessarily needs a hysterectomy, because there are many, many alternatives," Dr. Barrueto said.

One option is endometrial ablation, he said. In the NovaSure procedure, an electrode is placed in the uterus, and a short burst of radiofrequency -- no more than 90 seconds -- destroys the lining of the uterus.

"A good percentage - 4 percent to 60 percent -- will never see another period, which doesn't mean menopause because we haven't touched the ovaries," he said.

For Laboda, months later, the problems have disappeared.

"At this point, I don't dread every three weeks. I was either getting over or getting ready for my cycle. I never realized how it impacted my life," she said.

Women have to be sure they're finished with childbearing before a procedure like that, doctors said, because destroying the lining of the uterus means an end to fertility.

For more information and to view Dr. Barrueto's with WBAL-TV11 online, visit this link: http://www.wbaltv.com/womansdoctor/23659895/detail.html.