My doctor has me scheduled for an appointment to take a biopsy of the uterine lining. She made it sound as though this is just a precaution because I'm still having my periods at almost 56.
I am not clear what it's for, I have one scheduled too... I GATHERED that it's just a precaution... I wasn't clear, I was asking so many questions that I got sort of confused. With me, my period is very strange... It's like I am sloughing off scabby pieces... not really dripping... I know, too much info. :) But I am also having another ultrasound first...
I have had 2 endo biopsies. Wasnt too bad, first time was because I was having periods 20 days apart, second time I had a some spotting after not having a period for a couple of years. Tells you how thick or thin the uterine lining is, and whether there is any pathology. Not necessarily cancer. They never gave me that notion. It is just another diagnostic tool. My doctor always did an ultrasound first. She has a rule, if the lining looks 5 millimeters wide or over she does the biopsy. They have always been normal. Good luck and let us know. Shotzy
Hi Marie, Are your periods regular and not too excessive with the bleeding? I'm guessing there's probably something irregular about your periods. They usually do uterine biopsies when they have concerns that you aren't shedding your lining routinely, and its building up. This could predispose you to cancer. I've had it done a couple times. If your periods are normal, regular, and not excessive in blood loss, I would think it would be unnecessary to do one.
I had finally stopped having a period for 4 months, then have had 2 regular ones with the last one being extra heavy. But after the last one, I was staining for 2 weeks. If I remember correctly, the doctor said my lining was soft.
oh! Thank you Catherine! That's exactly what's going on... I just drip now... I was HOPING that it meant that the end is near! (woohoo) but she wants to check just to make sure... I am crossing my fingers that it's just the end.
i ended up with a d&c and yes, they did find cancer, but! i was very lucky and had my complete hysterectomy, and cervex "shaved" by 2cm, and ended up with NO radiation or chemo...
only wish i'd been as smart as you ladies and not waited so long...
Marie, it seems to me that with that history, you would be better off with a transvaginal ultrasound. Missing a period for 4 months, then having 2, and then having spotting I don't feel is that unusual for going through perimenopause. But that's just my opinion. In fact, I don't think anything is necessary at this time........but I'm not a doctor. I didn't have a period for a whole year, then had one. Supposedly, you're supposed to see the doc if you restart having periods, after going a year without them. But I think that's sort of silly. Menopause takes awhile. I went to the doc's and she wasn't concerned at all. That was the last period I ever had. What's nice about a transvaginal ultrasound is that its easy, pretty non-invasive, and it will tell them how thick your lining is. If its too thick, then they'll want to scrape it out (D&C), or give you hormones to encourage shedding (progesterone). But personally, I like to give nature time to do its thing. But maybe your doc has more concerns over short-term thick linings. A biopsy tells you what kind of cells you have in there. Susanjf........what were your symptoms, and how long did you have them? I'm glad everything worked out for you!
Hi Marie, That's good....that you had the ultrasound too. Did they say anything about it? A couple years after I started perimenopause, I started missing periods here and there, and then I started bleeding really badly. After the D&C, the doctor said that I had something like "benign disordered hyperplasia" of the cells in my uterus. I guess that can happen when our hormones get out of sync. She did ultrasounds every 6-12 months for awhile, just to make sure my uterine lining wasn't building up again. It seems like a pretty easy way to see how thick our linings are. It also checks out the ovaries too.......which is nice, if you are worried about ovarian cancer. Good luck with the biopsy!
in 99 lost the periods, then as with many here, it came back very heavy...
finally i ended up having staining or small amount of bleeding, on a daily basis for 2 years? (wore a pad everyday) started passing clots again, got scared and went in...and the rest is history...
my periods have been extremely irratic for the last 2+ years... anywhere from 2 weeks to 7+ months between them... and TMI here but... disgusting gross "old" lloking blood and globs of flesh at varying times...
about a month ago the OB (new one btw) did a endimetrio biopsy to "check out" what was going on due to the irraticness of my cycling... the result was that the lining is in menopause... so, I ask... does that mean this is all done now, especially in light of having 2 days of bleeding about a week after the biopsy??? Yes, you are out of perimenopause and in menopause.... can't 100% rule out you won't generate a "dried up" egg now and then or shed some blood... but it's not a period and the odds of an egg being fertilized AND implanting in your lining are negligible....
BTW... I did start very low dose HRT, with a patch that I change 2x per week... since then the night sweats are GONE, the waking up during the night continues, but I roll over and FALL BACK TO SLEEP!... She says that after I've been on the HRT longer the waking should stop also... my disposition has improved dramatically (amazing what some sleep can do for you)
I can't thank the new OB enough at this point... TALK with your OB.... especially about the sleep disturbances and not falling back to sleep....
The biopsy came back normal. Yeah! I'm getting another MRI mid May just as back-up to make sure nothing was missed. But I'm not worried about it at all.
Heathen1
shotzy52
Related Discussions
Thick uterine lining?
Q
Period after 15 months without one -- need D&C?
Q
Uterine fibroids
Q
Has anyone gone off HRT after 6 years on it?
Q
catherinet
marie26Original Author
Heathen1
susanjf_gw
catherinet
marie26Original Author
catherinet
susanjf_gw
plumbly22
marie26Original Author
robbyrob
catherinet