Polyps in the uterus
Polyps are grape-like growths that are sometimes found in the lining of
the cervix or the uterus. There can be one or several polyps at the same
time. They occur in 10-20% of pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women
who’re examined for bleeding disturbances, and they are usually benign.
Symptoms
Even though the polyps are usually benign, they can cause a good deal
of problems for some women, such as:
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Bleeding between periods
-
Bleeding during or after sex
-
Vaginal discharge –a lot and watery?
Treatment
The polyps are removed. We do this either with a small telescope, or in
a keyhole operation after dilating the cervix.
If the polyp is large or there’re several of them in the uterus, we remove them in a keyhole operation. As it’s necessary to dilate the cervix, you’ll have general anaesthesia for the operation.
Below you can read more about what happens during the operation.
Before the operation
The operation is usually performed as an out-patient procedure. That is, you can go home 2-4 hours later. But you must have somebody to come and pick you up at the clinic and stay with you for the next 24 hours. It’s important that you tell the specialist before the procedure about any drugs or medicine you take, because some of them are dangerous in combination with the anaesthesia.
Fasting:
-
You are
not
allowed to eat anything 6 hours before your operation.
- You are allowed to drink water and juice until 2 hours before your operation.
The operation
You’ll have general anaesthesia for the operation, which takes 20-30 minutes. We’ll put an IV line in the back of your hand and give you the anaesthesia through it. The operation is performed via the vagina and cervix using a small telescope (hysteroscope). Your uterus is filled with saline water, to give us a better image. We use a fine loop of wire to remove the polyps. The polyps are sent to the University’s Department of Pathology for further analysis. You’ll get the results from the tests about 10 days after the operation.After the operation
You should take it easy for the rest of the day after the operation. The next day our nurse will call you at home to check that you’re OK.
Pain
You’ll experience some labour- or period-like pain after the operation.
The pain is caused by contractions of the uterus.
Bleeding
You’ll probably have bleeding similar to a period for 1-2 weeks after
the operation. Then the bleeding will gradually diminish. But you
can still have some brownish discharge or light bleeding for a couple of
weeks after that.
Hygiene
During this time, in order to reduce the risk of infection, you should not use tampons. Take showers only, and don’t go swimming until 4 weeks after the operation.
During this time, in order to reduce the risk of infection, you should not use tampons. Take showers only, and don’t go swimming until 4 weeks after the operation.
Activity
You should expect to be off sick for about 1 week after the operation.
You can also take up physical exercise about 1 week later. Don’t have sexual
intercourse until you’ve stopped bleeding.
Check-up
You come in for a check-up 4 months after the operation.