New ‘life changing’ treatment for women

A ‘life changing’ new treatment for women who struggle with heavy periods has been successfully carried out at Ayr Hospital.

Gynaecology specialists at NHS Ayrshire & Arran can now offer and perform Novasure endometrial ablation as an outpatient procedure.

Endometrial ablation is a minimally invasive procedure to remove a thin layer of tissue that lines the uterus, in order to stop or reduce heavy menstrual bleeding, helping to make periods more manageable.

Endometrial ablation has been offered as an effective treatment for heavy periods for many years in Ayrshire & Arran. But last month marked the first time staff within the gynaecology department have performed the procedure under local anaesthetic in an outpatient setting.

NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s Consultant Gynaecologists, Dr Iain Martin and Dr Inna Sokolova, were the driving force behind the novel approach, supported by Gillian Shearer from women’s health company Hologic, and Mr Nibs Biswas from Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust.

Dr Sokolova, Clinical Director, praised the success of the treatment, which requires minimal recovery time and added: “Because patients undergoing Novasure endometrial ablation don’t need a general anaesthetic they are able to return home a short time after their procedure, much sooner than if they had a standard ablation procedure.It means they won’t suffer with any of the common side effects associated with general anaesthetic. Feedback from patients has been exceptionally positive and the entire team are looking forward to continuing to offer this life changing treatment to the women of Ayrshire and Arran.”

Staff within the department received training from Hologic to successfully integrate the Novasure procedure into the range of gynaecological procedures already offered at University Hospital Ayr.