A life-changing procedure for a common menopause issue

Despite having a long journey with endometriosis and debilitating periods, Róisín Holden wasn’t aware of a common perimenopausal issue she was experiencing – nor did she realise that it could be easily resolved.

“I started having heavy bleeding, to the point that I was afraid to leave the house,” says Róisín. “It went on for two years, yet it never occurred to me that I should see the doctor. After a particularly bad incident one weekend, I spoke to my mum who was a nurse, and she told me to ring the doctor on Monday.”

“By that point, I was really frightened. I was only 52 and I was at the end of my tether. I had so much anxiety that I’d stopped doing things. I was afraid to go out or go to work for fear of bleeding through my clothes,” she says. “When I spoke to my gynaecologist, he said to come in immediately.” Róisín and her doctor arranged for her to have a hysteroscopy under general anaesthesia, as well as a biopsy and a dilation and curettage (D&C) to remove tissue from inside her uterus.

A hysteroscopy involves using a medical device called a hysteroscope, which is like a thin telescope with a light and camera inserted vaginally that allows the doctor to visually examine the inside of a women’s uterus. The camera sends images to a monitor, allowing the doctor to view the womb lining and detect any abnormalities.

It can be very useful for diagnosing the cause of irregular bleeding. Women often have a biopsy at the same time, where a sample of tissue is collected from the womb and sent off to a lab for further examination to see if there are any irregularities like precancerous or cancerous cells.

“The D&C happened at the same time, but it was done via keyhole surgery, so there wasn’t a big incision”, explains Róisín. “I was anxious about having the same problems after the procedure, but my doctor reassured me that it wouldn’t happen again. That was eight years ago and I’ve haven’t had any problems since. The biopsy also came back clear and nothing concerning came up during the hysteroscopy.”

Róisín is glad she had this straightforward procedure done with the aid of various medical technologies. Her only regret is waiting so long. “Starting from a point of crisis, I ended up having a very positive experience. I had no discomfort and I was up and out the same day. A week later, I was nearly back to normal,” she notes.

“My advice to anyone who is going through this is to see your doctor as soon as possible. We women often normalise these types of issues and suffer in silence. If anyone else was hesitating about whether to have this procedure done, I would one hundred percent recommend it. It’s done all the time, so I was confident in both the procedure and the medical team.”