VALIDATION OF A METHOD OF TREATING MENORRHAGIA BY ENDOMETRIAL ABLATION

Menstrual blood loss was measured by intravenous injection of radioactive iron (Fe-59) and whole-body counting in 19 women complaining of menorrhagia due to dysfunctional bleeding. Fifteen patients were then treated by radiofrequency endometrial ablation, after which blood loss was re-measured. The majority of the patients were bleeding excessively before treatment (mean 281 (SD 156) ml per cycle averaged over two cycles, range 49 - 665 ml, n = 19). In the 15 treated patients, average blood loss was reduced to 52 (SD 39) ml per cycle and the mean reduction in blod loss was highly significant (P<0.001). These quantitative data correlate well with the patients' subjective reports.