Essure Permanent Sterilization

The Essure procedure is the first and only FDA approved female sterilization procedure to have zero pregnancies in the clinical trials. The Essure procedure is permanent and is NOT reversible. Therefore, you should be sure you do not want children in the future.

The Essure procedure is different than the traditional method of a surgical tubal ligation. With Essure there is no cutting into the body. Instead, an Essure trained doctor inserts spring-like coils, called micro-inserts, through the body's natural pathways (vagina, cervix, and uterus) and into your fallopian tubes. The procedure can be performed in your doctor's office without general anesthesia .

During the first 3 months following the procedure, your body and the micro-inserts work together to form a tissue barrier that prevents sperm from reaching the egg. During this period, you will need to use another form of birth control.

After 3 months you will have an Essure Confirmation Test, a special type of x-ray to confirm that your tubes are completely blocked and you can rely on the Essure micro-inserts for birth control.

Unlike birth control pills, patches, rings, and some forms of IUDs, Essure does not contain hormones to interfere with your natural menstrual cycle. Your periods should more or less continue in their natural state.

Laparoscopic Supracervical Hysterectomy

The LSH procedure uses a thin, lighted telescope-like instrument called a laparoscope, which acts like a video camera, along with small surgical instruments that are all inserted through 3 to 4 tiny incisions (less than 1/4 inch each) in the navel and abdomen. Using the instruments, the surgeon carefully separates the uterus from the cervix and removes it through one of the openings. The cervix, the bottom part of the uterus, is left intact. Because this type of surgery does not require the surgeon to make a large abdominal incision, you will not have the same kind of visible scar typical with most traditional, "open" surgeries.

LSH causes less stress to the body than the traditional "open" hysterectomy. It was developed to reduce pain, minimize scarring, and shorten recovery time. The procedure can be done on an outpatient basis, which means a woman can be home resting comfortably within 24 hours and back to her normal activities in less than a week. As with all surgery, hysterectomy involves risk, including potential blood loss, infection and damage to other internal organs.

In-Office Cryoblation

Her Option® is a safe and effective ablation procedure. It uses sub-zero temperatures (cryoablation) to reduce or eliminate excessive menstrual periods. The cold temperatures destroy the endometrium (your uterine lining), which is responsible for menstrual bleeding. When the endometrium is eliminated, there is less tissue to shed each period, and therefore, dramatically less or no menstrual bleeding.

If you are unfamiliar with cryoablation, it may be comforting to know that it has been used for years in the treatment of uterine fibroids, prostate and liver cancer. Cryoablation has many dermatologic and gynecologic applications, and gynecologists are very familiar with it.

Other endometrial ablation processes use energy or heat to eliminate uterine lining. Unfortunately, heat ablation (also called thermal ablation) more often causes scarring that can make possible future cancer detection difficult. In addition, heat-based ablation often requires general anesthesia or IV sedation, expansion of the uterine cavity and dilation of the cervix.

If you are pre-menopausal, past childbearing and if your excessive uterine bleeding is due to benign causes, Her Option may be the right option for you. Her Option is so effective that at two years post-treatment, 91 percent of patients were very or extremely satisfied with treatment results.

IMPLANON®

IMPLANON® is a small, thin, implantable hormonal contraceptive that is effective for up to three years.

IMPLANON® is more than 99% effective: the chance of getting pregnant is less than 1 pregnancy per 100 women who use IMPLANON® for 1 year when IMPLANON® is inserted correctly.

Most women cannot see IMPLANON® after insertion. Long-acting One IMPLANON® provides up to 3 full years of contraceptive protection. IMPLANON® must be removed by the end of the third year and may be replaced with a new IMPLANON®.

Once IMPLANON® is successfully removed, your ability to get pregnant usually returns quickly. Some women have become pregnant within days after removal of IMPLANON®.