Endometrial polyps, although small, are sometimes enough to give problems. I've seen patients who came with mid-cycle bleeding, irregular period and recently, a patient with heavy periods to the extent she needed a blood transfusion.
Besides causing abnormal periods, endometrial polyps can also cause fertility problems.
It may prevent the implantation of an embryo - (baby tak boleh menampal ke rahim sebab polyp).
The picture on the left shows multiple polyps. This patient came to me because of heavy and non-stopped periods. Her bleeding was so heavy that her Hb dropped to below 10. She felt tired all the time.
She chose medical treatment initially; she was scared of surgery. Unfortunately, because she had multiple polyps and they were big - medical treatment did not work for her. After a lengthy discussion, she finally agreed to surgical treatment.
The picture on the right shows the endometrial cavity without the polyps. The polyps were removed surgically using a hysteroscope ( a device with camera - inserted through the vagina --> cervix --> uterus) + Bigatti Shaver ( a device to resect the polyps). The procedure took about 30mins.
The patient is now well with regular and normal periods 😀.
The exact cause of endometrial polyps is unknown. It is more common in women >40. Women with obesity, hypertension or using hormones such as tamoxifen or HRT have higher risks of getting endometrial polyps.
Seek medical advice if your period is heavy.
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