WHAT ARE ENDOMETRIAL POLYPS?

 

The inner lining of the uterus (womb) is referred to medically as the endometrium. Endometrial polyps are relatively common intra uterine lesions that are typically benign and many times there are no symptoms of it. The most common type of polyp is the proliferative polyp, representing an overgrowth of endometrial glands and stroma. Endometrial polyps can be associated with postmenopausal and abnormal uterine bleeding as well as infertility.

 

Dr Steven R. Goldstein is a top obgyn in Manhattan and specialist in non-invasive, painless Transvaginal Ultrasounds and Sonohysterograms for use in diagnosing the cause of pelvic pain, heavy periods (menorrhagia), abnormal uterine bleeding, fibroids, ovarian cysts, thick uterine lining, and more. The most common symptom of endometrial polyps is abnormal uterine bleeding, which occurs in approximately 68% of both pre and post-menopausal women.

 

Dr Goldstein, a leading obgyn in Manhattan , uses these transvaginal ultrasounds and Sonohysterograms to help diagnose endometrial polyps. The appearance of these polyps depends on whether the patient is pre-menopausal or post-menopausal. In pre-menopausal women the endometrium can be thick, which camouflages the polyps. In post-menopausal women, when the endometrium is at its thinnest, the polyps may be more obvious.

 

Due to the aforementioned difficulties in clearly seeing these polyps because of a thick endometrium or not thin enough, a Sonohysterogram is very helpful. During a saline infusion sonohysterogram (SIS), a tiny catheter, the size of a swizzle stick, goes into the cervix a couple of inches tops, and about a tablespoon of sterile saline is injected. The injection of a tablespoon of water into the uterus via catheter pushes the front and back walls of the uterus apart and enables us to see the uterine lining with microscopic precision.

Dr Goldstein personally performs all Sonohysterograms and Transvaginal ultrasounds. While painful endometrial biopsies only sample the area involved, these transvaginal ultrasounds and Sonohysterograms produce clear images of the entire area - uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, cervix and so on. These clear images help Dr. Goldstein properly diagnose the patient and recommend a course of treatment.

 

Dr Steven R. Goldstein MD, a gynecologist in Manhattan, is a pioneer in the field of gynecological ultrasounds. He is is highly regarded as one of the nation’s best gynecologists and a foremost authority on gynecological ultrasound and imaging. He served as Director of Gynecologic Ultrasound at New York University Medical Center and President of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine among many other roles.

 

ESTROGEN AND YOUR BONES

 

 

Dr Steven R. Goldstein is a leading Menopause Specialist in NYC who has helped thousands of women find relief from and cope with the symptoms of menopause. He also serves as the Co-Directory of Bone Densitometry and Body Composition at NYU Langone Medical Center and is an Osteoporosis Specialist in NYC where he combines his knowledge of menopause and bone density to help patients.

 It is important to remember that Menopause is not a disease, it is a stage of life that a woman will enter, during which the body stops producing estrogen. There are over 300 tissues in a woman’s body that rely on estrogen (a female hormone) so cholesterol levels, the heart, the brain, bones and more areas of the body are affected by Menopause. 

 There are 206 bones in your body. They give you support; they allow you to go about your daily activities, and they protect your vital organs. Bone marrow even manufactures new blood cells. Although we may think of bone as inert and unchanging, it is living tissue, and like all living tissue, its is constantly changing, breaking down old cells, and replacing them with new cells, resorbed as well as formed. Bone mass, which is the total amount of bone in the skeleton, is maintained in a delicate balance between the breakdown (resorption) of old bone and the formulation of new bone.

 Ninety-nine percent of the calcium in your body is stored in your bones. Calcium is vital to the body and bone. Estrogen plays a role in keeping blood calcium levels normal by aiding absorption of calcium from food as well as promoting the uptake of calcium from the blood into the bone. Therefore, after menopause, a woman’s body may lose bone faster than it can be replaced due to estrogen loss.

 Dr Goldstein, a Menopause Specialist in NYC notes that fifty percent of a woman’s bone loss occurs in the first three years following menopause. Some women lose one third of the bone mass in their spine in as little as six years after menopause. This bone loss defines osteopenia and osteoporosis. Osteoporosis affects about eight million women in America.

 Dr Steven R. Goldstein, a Menopause Specialist in NYC , is a Certified Menopause Practitioner with the North American Menopause Society and a past President of the International Menopause Society as well as a past President of the North American Menopause society. In private practice for over 25 years in New York City, Dr Goldstein has successfully helped thousands of women cope with the symptoms of menopause, osteoporosis and osteopenia.

 

 

 

WHAT CAN CAUSE HEAVY PERIODS?

 

 

Dr Steven R Goldstein MD, an NYC Gyn and a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at New York University School of Medicine, has been in private practice on the East side of Manhattan for over 25 years. Many patients present with heavy periods (heavy bleeding). In contemporary gynecology, heavy bleeding is known as “menorrhagia” or uterine bleeding characterized by excessive flow or long duration. It is defined as more than 80cc or 5 tablespoons in a period or more than the regular number of days.

 

The trouble is, what’s normal for one woman may be excessive for another, and women aren’t measuring their menses in a test tube. If your menses can be dealt with by a super-plus tampon, it’s probably within a normal range. Women who have always had three day periods where they never bled through a sanitary pad or a tampon, and all of a sudden the last two have lasted for seven days, ruining three pairs of pants, this is abnormal for them.

 

If a woman experiences a heavy, clotty bleed, miscarriage is the first thing to rule out. But heavy or prolonged bleeding is very common, and it can come from a host of causes. Fibroid tumors are one cause. Pelvic infection or an IUD that’s gone awry are also reasons for heavy bleeding. Pain in the lower abdomen, pain that came on slowly, is there a fever or discharge from the vagina are all reasons to be concerned.

 

It is also true that a woman can have abnormal bleeding – either heavy or at the wrong time or both – from cancer, hyperplasia, or polyps. Endometriosis, a disease in which the tissue from the lining of the uterus grows in other areas of the pelvis, is a very common cause of heavy and painful bleeding. A dysfunction of the hypothalamus, pituitary, or adrenal glands can cause heavy bleeding. So can thyroid problems.

 

If you are experiencing any of the above, then it is time to see a gynecologist for a thorough evaluation. Dr Goldstein, a NYC Gyn recommends opting for painless, non-invasive Transvaginal Ultrasounds or Sonohysterograms as a first means of diagnosis. Dr Goldstein uses these technologies to see first hand the uterus, uterine lining, fallopian tubes, ovaries, cervix and more in order to properly diagnose the cause of heavy or unscheduled bleeding. Opt for these means of diagnoses first before enduring painful, inaccurate exploratory surgeries.