Woman shares story on private matter
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

MOTHER AND SON-Tami Tackett enjoys a happy moment with her 6-year-old son, Tanner, at a Halloween celebration at his school. The Camarillo mother of two had suffered from menorrhagia, debilitating menstrual periods with excessive bleeding.Tackett talked with her doctor, who recommended endometrial ablation, a 90-second outpatient procedure that destroys the lining of the uterus. Since the December 2003 procedure Tackett says she's experienced no ill effects, even with strenuous activity, and "If anything, I am more active than I was."

Not long after giving birth to her second child, son Tanner, now 6, Tami Tackett couldn't understand why her menstrual cycles had become increasingly irregular, lasting up to 10 days and so heavy that she became anemic.

"I was exhausted, just couldn't function, all because I was bleeding so badly," said the 36-year-old Camarillo mother of the condition that caused her to miss several days of work month after month.

Feeling worn out from the heavy periods and fearful the cervical cancer she had defeated had returned, Tackett saw Camarillo doctor Stephen Carter, who diagnosed her condition as menorrhagia.

Although not fatal, menorrhagia, or excessive bleeding, can occur in women of any age; but it's most common in women over 45. According to one estimate, up to 20 percent of women in the U.S. suffer from menorrhagia.

The condition has several causes and treatments range from medication to major surgery. Endometrial ablation fits somewhere inbetween. The surgical technique could be a wellkept secret, however. One study in 2000 found that two-thirds of American women were aware only of hysterectomy, removal of the entire uterus, as a treatment.

In the months following Tanner's birth, Tackett had increasing problems with debilitating periods. At first, she thought it was her body adjusting to having given birth, then attributed the condition to getting older.

Like many women with the condition, Tackett went to her doctor when the periods became unbearable. He recommended she take birth control pills to stem the heavy flow. But having survived two bouts of cancer, Tackett wanted a more permanent solution than the hormones the pills provide.

"I wasn't having any more children, and I felt there was just no point," said Tackett, who at the time was a director of operations for a telecommunications company and often had to travel across the country.

She wanted an end to sleepless nights, lining her bed with towels and always traveling with a change of clothes. She asked for a hysterectomy, but the doctor instead suggested endometrial ablation, an outpatient procedure that permanently destroys the uterine lining. Tackett opted for the procedure.

Dr. Thomas Van Geem, a Thousand Oaks gynecologist, has been performing endometrial ablations since 1989. He said the procedure has evolved from a 25minute operation requiring two months of pretreatment to one that's completed in 90 seconds using radio waves.

Van Geem, who's been in practice for 19 years, said the method poses less risk to women over 40 than hormonal treatment with birth control pills, another standard treatment for excessive bleeding.

"I think a lot of women don't even know this procedure exists," Van Geem said.

Though relatively unknown, endometrial ablation apparently is quite successful. Most women who've had the procedure are period free or show a significant reduction in bleeding, doctors said.

The procedure, however, is likely to render the patient unable to have children. That was fine for Tackett and her husband, Wes, who had had a vasectomy right after Tanner was born.

Since having the procedure done in December 2003, Tackett said she has not only been period free but has been liberated from mood swings. And she said her vivacious personality and high energy level have been restored.

"I told Dr. Carter I would do this every month if I don't have to have a period again," Tackett said. "I'm a different person. I don't think about it, I don't worry about it, I don't stress about it."

The topic of such heavy bleeding may be a difficult one for women to talk about, even with their doctor. A survey by the National Women's Health Resource Center found nearly 60 percent of more than 600 women with menorrhagia hadn't discussed their condition with a health care provider even though the condition greatly affected their lives.

Van Geem said patients are more likely to discuss excessive bleeding with their gynecologist than with a primary care doctor.

Since her experience, Tackett has urged two friends who've had similar experiences to consult their doctors about endometrial ablation.

"I can't imagine living life every single day and not having been told this is a possibility to get better," she said.

Tackett said she's experienced no ill effects or limitations, even with strenuous activity.

"If anything, I am more active than I was," she said.