06 Aug Hormones are not helping my endometriosis — can laparoscopic surgery help?
Are you experiencing extreme pain, difficulty conceiving, or other complications due to endometriosis? If medications have not helped treat your endometriosis, your gynecologist may recommend laparoscopy for both diagnosis and treatment.
Below, we discuss what laparoscopic surgery entails and how it is used to treat endometriosis.
What is laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis?
Gynecologists use laparoscopic surgery for diagnosing and treating certain symptoms of endometriosis if other remedies, such as hormone treatments, have not been successful.
Doctors recommend this type of surgery when:
- Severe endometriosis and scar tissue are thought to be interfering with internal organs, such as the bowel or bladder.
- Endometriosis pain has continued or returned after hormone treatments.
- An endometriosis cyst is found on an ovary (endometrioma).
- Endometriosis is a possible cause of infertility.
A gynecologist performs laparoscopy using a special instrument called a laparoscope, a long, slender device inserted into the abdomen through a small incision. The laparoscope has a tiny camera fixed to it that allows your doctor to view the pelvic and abdominal organs for signs of endometrial tissue. Laparoscopy is performed with general anesthesia, which puts you to sleep.
If your gynecologist finds endometrial tissue during the surgery, other instruments may be used to treat and/or remove it, often inserted through additional incisions in the abdomen; however, they may be inserted through the incision made for the laparoscope. If so, this is called a single-site laparoscopy.
What is recovery like after laparoscopic surgery as a treatment for endometriosis?
Laparoscopy is performed with small incisions so that you will have less pain and minimal or no scarring. There is also a low risk for infections and short recovery time.
Laparoscopy is an outpatient procedure. Most patients return home as soon as the anesthesia wears off. In rare cases where an extensive amount of endometrial tissue is treated, you will need to stay in the hospital overnight so that your doctor can monitor you.
Your doctor will give you a guideline for when you can resume your daily activities following your laparoscopy. For minor procedures, it’s 3-4 days. For more complex procedures, recovery can take a week or longer. Your doctor will determine how long you should rest. Regardless of recovery time, you will need to avoid lifting, pushing, or pulling heavy objects during the first few weeks after the surgery.
You may experience a much heavier period than usual following this procedure. However, if you experience severe pain, fever, heavy bleeding, fainting, nausea, swelling, or discharge from your incision, it’s important to contact your OB-GYN right away.
Choose Sylacauga OB-GYN for endometriosis diagnosis and treatment
The staff at Sylacauga OB-GYN can help determine if laparoscopy is right for your condition. We’ll discuss your concerns and determine if minimally invasive surgery is right for you. Sylacauga OB-GYN is the premier provider of obstetric and gynecological services in Sylacauga. We are accessible to patients from Clay County, Coosa County, Randolph County, Tallapoosa County, and Talladega County. Give us a call at 256-249-6995 for more information or to schedule an appointment.