Why it's done

Endometrial ablation is a treatment for excessive menstrual blood loss. Your doctor might recommend endometrial ablation if you have:

• Unusually heavy periods, sometimes defined as soaking a pad or tampon every two hours or less
• Bleeding that lasts longer than eight days
• Anemia from excessive blood loss

To reduce menstrual bleeding, doctors generally start by prescribing medications or an intrauterine device (IUD). Endometrial ablation might be an option if these other treatments don't help or if you're not able to have other therapies.

Endometrial ablation generally isn't recommended for postmenopausal women or women who have:

• Certain abnormalities of the uterus
• Cancer of the uterus, or an increased risk of uterine cancer
• An active pelvic infection