ABSTRACT
Endometrial ablation (EA) refers to the targeted destruction of the endometrium for the treatment of AUB from selected causes, an approach that only applies to women who have no desire for future fertility. After its original introduction in the late nineteeth century,1 the procedure was reintroduced in the late twentieth century as a surgical option for women with chronic AUB-E (with the potential advantages of a short hospital stay, absence of surgical incisions, and subsequent rapid return to normal activity). While most studies have specifically excluded women determined to have AUB-O, many patients with this disorder have been included, a circumstance that has led some to speculate on the subsequent risk for endometrial neoplasia. It has also been difficult to determine the impact of EA on women with AUB-O with respect to clinical outcomes. However, there is some evidence that the bleeding outcomes are similar.2,3 For discussion on the categorization of AUB etiologies using FIGO’s PALM-COEIN system, see Chapter 24.
