Laparoscopic Surgery

What is Laparoscopy for Infertility?

Laparoscopic Surgery is a minimally invasive procedure to remove uterine fibroids, benign (not cancerous) growths in a woman’s uterus. The procedure can help relieve uterine fibroid symptoms such as abnormally heavy menstrual bleeding, pain in the pelvic region, and pressure on the bladder or bowel.

In this, images transmitted by the laparoscope are used by doctors to identify the causes of infertility. In some cases, surgeons might also use laparoscopy in a corrective capacity to remove scar tissue or fibroid tumors. In such cases, the procedure becomes operative & not merely diagnostic.

Everything You Need to Know About Laparoscopic Surgery

When recommended | Why important | Procedure | Advanced Surgery | Cost | Recovery Time | Risk | Success Rate | Pros & Cons | What to expect

When is a laparoscopy procedure recommended?

In cases where more traditional diagnostic tests such as ultrasound and X-ray cannot identify causes of discomfort in patients, or in case of infertility, causes of infertility, a laparoscopic procedure is recommended so that doctors can identify the problem.

Your doctor might use laparoscopy for several reasons, including but not limited to:

• Looking for abnormalities in the uterus and ovaries
• Looking for blocked fallopian tubes
• Looking for fibroid tumors
• Looking for scar tissue
• To confirm endometriosis (which can only be done using laparoscopy)

Why is it important?

Laparoscopy is an essential weapon in a doctor’s arsenal. It is because the procedure allows manual examination of the patients’ organs using images transmitted by the laparoscope. It often becomes crucial, especially in cases where traditional diagnostic tests fail to identify the problem.

How is it done?

Laparoscopy for infertility works like any other laparoscopic procedure. But the focus, in this case, lies on the reproductive organs of a female patient. The procedure is usually performed under general anesthesia and sometimes using local anesthetics, so either way, it’s a painless procedure.

Once a patient is anesthetized, her abdomen is inflated with gas (usually a nitrous oxide or carbon dioxide injected with a needle) so that organs are pushed away from the abdominal wall. Doing this allows individuals organs to become visible under the laparoscope.

Subsequently, one or more small incisions are made. A laparoscope is inserted to transmit images and video of the pelvic cavity’s interior so that problems with reproductive organs can be swiftly identified.

The whole procedure usually takes about 30-45 minutes.

Advanced laparoscopic gynecologic surgery:

In most cases, laparoscopy is used to diagnose problems in reproductive organs. But, laparoscopy can also be used as a corrective measure. In such cases, it is slightly more complicated than a diagnostic procedure. Hence, it is called advanced laparoscopic gynecologic surgery. When used as an operative procedure, laparoscopy involves using other instruments. These might be inserted using the laparoscope or through other small incisions.

Advanced laparoscopic gynecologic surgery is used to treat several conditions, including but not limited to:

• Hysterectomy (removal of the uterus)
• Myomectomy (removal of uterine fibroids)
• Oophorectomy (removal of ovaries)
• Cystectomy (removal of ovarian cyst)
• Endometrial ablation (destruction of the uterine lining)

Laparoscopy for infertility cost:

The cost of laparoscopic surgery to diagnose or treat infertility varies from hospital to hospital and on a case-by-case basis. But, it should be noted that laparoscopy for infertility, in general, costs upward of Rs. 20,000 and can go up to Rs. 71,000.

Recovery time of laparoscopy surgery for infertility:

Since laparoscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that uses minor incisions, the recovery time from such a procedure is significantly lower than open surgeries.

That being said, several factors can affect the recovery times of patients who have undergone laparoscopic surgery. Factors such as the number of incisions made during the surgery, the type of anesthesia used, the body’s response to the surgical procedure, and the patient’s overall health all affect recovery times.

However, patients are usually kept under observation for a few hours after the procedure. If the patient’s vital signs are deemed normal during this period, no anomaly is observed. If the patient does not report any significant discomfort, they are discharged within a few hours.

Yet, getting discharged is not equivalent to recovery, and patients should take particular care to avoid strenuous work at home. It is advisable to take complete rest for a few days following the surgery. It is normal to feel some pain in areas where incisions have been made, but the pain should gradually decrease in intensity with each passing day.

If there are no irregularities and recovery takes its normal course, then a patient who has laparoscopic surgery can recover completely within a week or two.

Risks of laparoscopy for infertility:

Despite laparoscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure and not very risky per se, it still counts as a surgery, and as such, there are some associated risks. The most common risks associated with laparoscopy is the risk of infection post-surgery. In some cases, patients might also experience bleeding, and, in very rare cases, patients could suffer some damage to abdominal organs.

However, laparoscopic surgery has a good track record in terms of safety, and barring fringe cases, is usually a very smooth procedure.

Although there aren’t too many risks associated with laparoscopy for infertility, the surgery’s side-effects are fairly common. Side effects, when experienced, usually fall in at least one of the categories mentioned below:

• Bleeding at incisions
• Redness/swelling at incisions

It should be noted that these effects are fairly common.

Laparoscopy for infertility success rate:

The success rate of laparoscopy for infertility is difficult to pin down to a single number because the procedure’s success in curing infertility depends on several factors that are particular to individual patients.

That being said, a 2013 study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) found that, in a sample of 43 patients who had undergone laparoscopy for infertility, the pregnancy rate post-surgery was 41.9%. The study further notes that 66.7% and 94.4% of the patients studied conceived within three months of the surgery and six months of the surgery, respectively.

Advantages of laparoscopy for infertility:

The advantages of laparoscopy for infertility are manifold. The benefits of laparoscopy for infertility include:

• The small sizes of the incisions made for the procedure
• Less internal scarring compared to open surgeries.
• Relatively little pain compared to open surgeries.
• The option to leave the hospital shortly after surgery
• A significantly faster recovery time compared to open surgeries.

Disadvantages of laparoscopy for infertility:

There are no disadvantages of laparoscopic surgery. As mentioned earlier, patients are exposed to a certain degree of risk and may have to endure some uncomfortable side-effects following the surgery.

What to expect after laparoscopy:

Once the laparoscopic procedure is over, you can expect to be monitored by your doctor/nurses for a few hours. If no irregularities are found, and you are deemed healthy, you can expect to be discharged on the same day as the surgery itself.

Once discharged, you should take care to get adequate rest and avoid strenuous work, and before you know it, you will be hale and hearty.

• Is laparoscopy painful?

Laparoscopic procedures are minimally invasive and are always performed after administering general or local anesthesia. Therefore, there is no element of pain involved during the surgery. However, you might experience some pain in your abdominal region and near the surgery’s incisions once the procedure is over.

• Is laparoscopy necessary before IVF?

Before commencing IVF, laparoscopy can be useful for treating issues such as endometriosis, fibroid tumors, and hydrosalpinges. That being said, there is no hard and fast rule that a laparoscopy must be performed before commencing IVF. It is best to consult your doctor about the same because your doctor will be aware of your case’s particularities and can take an informed call on whether laparoscopy is needed or not.

• Can laparoscopy unblock fallopian tubes?

Yes, laparoscopy can help identify blocked fallopian tubes. Also, corrective laparoscopic surgery can be used to repair blocked fallopian tubes.

• How does laparoscopy help infertility?

A diagnostic laparoscopy procedure can help identify infertility causes that cannot be detected by traditional diagnostic tests such as ultrasound and X-ray. In addition to diagnosing infertility causes, corrective laparoscopic procedures can be used to treat several causes of infertility.

Laparoscopy for infertility has a good track record of diagnosing and treating infertility and is a fairly safe and inexpensive procedure that can help infertile couples become parents.

We Provide Laparoscopic Surgery In Mumbai

Shree IVF is one of the best clinics in Mumbai for treating related Laparoscopic / Minimal Access Surgery. Shree IVF Clinic’s team of Gynecologists and Fertility is highly skilled in handling all cases of Gynecologic Laparoscopy in Mumbai. The team has performed a significant number of complex surgeries for Laparoscopy, as it is a recurring condition.

Dr. Jay Mehta is one of Mumbai’s best laparoscopic surgeons, as an infertility, gynecology, and endometriosis specialist, he has over 10 years of experience.