Endometriosis is a common and painful condition women experience when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside it, forming scar tissue which may result in adhesions between organs in the abdomen. If you have endometriosis, you will probably experience a range of symptoms, such as painful periods, chronic abdominal pain, painful sex, and reduced fertility. To manage the symptoms, doctors may recommend lifestyle changes or hormonal treatments. Endometriosis surgery may be required if these treatments don’t offer sufficient relief. But how successful is surgery for endometriosis? There are many aspects of endometriosis surgery to consider; let’s discuss them further.
What Types of Surgery Treat Endometriosis?
Doctors at Sydney Endometriosis primarily perform laparoscopy or robotic surgery to remove endometrial tissue and adhesions caused by endometrial scarring. During laparoscopic surgery, the surgeon will create an incision near your navel where surgical instruments can be inserted. The same technique can be used to diagnose endometriosis but inserting a camera into the incision. Robotic surgery employs the same concept and can be used as an alternative to laparoscopy.
How Does a Doctor Know if Surgery Is Necessary?
At Sydney Endometriosis, endometriosis can be diagnosed through expert transvaginal ultrasounds or laparoscopic surgery. Once your doctor has determined that you have endometriosis, they will prescribe lifestyle changes and hormone-based treatments. These hormone treatments include hormonal contraceptives or progesterone therapy. If these treatments fail to improve your quality of life sufficiently or you do not want hormonal therapy, our doctors will turn to endometriosis surgery, physically removing the endometriosis to relieve the pain and discomfort, and to improve fertility.
Can Your Endometriosis Come Back After Surgery?
As with all surgery, there are risks associated with endometriosis surgery including potential damage to nearby organs, infection and bleeding. These complications, however, are uncommon and good planning of surgery using pre-op ultrasound mapping of the disease location and extent is very important.
After surgery, it’s important to work with your team to try to keep you as well as possible for as long as possible.
Recurrence of endometriosis can be related to several factors including your age, overall health and the type and severity of the endometriosis noted at surgery. Pain reduction and potential increased fertility are the most common results of these surgeries.
What You Can Expect After Endometriosis Surgery
If you require surgery, you can expect pain and discomfort afterwards. This pain may last for several days or weeks, depending on the type of procedure and the amount of endometrial tissue removed. You must rest and avoid strenuous activity for several weeks after the surgery. You may experience additional symptoms such as constipation and bloating. If the surgeon performs a laparoscopy, your recovery time may take a few weeks; the same can be said if your surgery is performed robotically.
If you’ve been struggling with the symptoms of endometriosis and think you may need surgery, it’s always a good idea to get a second opinion. Book an appointment to see an endometriosis specialist today at Sydney Endometriosis to ensure successful management which may or may not include endometriosis surgery.
