Many CIGC patients have deeply personal and emotional stories. Too often patients wait to see a specialist to take care of a gynecological condition. Delaying treatment has many negative implications, including loss of fertility, increased pain, damage to other systems in the body and time lost with friends, family or work. At The Center for Innovative GYN Care, our mission is to help improve the lives of women so that they can live their lives to the fullest. That means state-of-the-art surgical techniques, and personalized care in advanced facilities with our fellowship-trained laparoscopic surgical specialists.
The collective experience of the CIGC surgeons has proven that when a woman waits to treat endometriosis, fibroids, ovarian cysts, pelvic adhesions, adenomyosis or other condition, the toll it takes on their quality of life is unnecessary. Women should not have to wait to receive the best surgical care. Our specialists are experts in complicated GYN conditions, and advocate earlier treatment rather than waiting or watching.
Our focus is surgery, which means our surgeons are able to help more women with complex conditions per year than doctors who focus on obstetrics or general practice. In 2016, CIGC performed over 2,000 procedures. In many cases, women are able to have surgery soon after their initial consultation.
Some of the highlights of the CIGC patient testimonials from 2016 go into great detail about how they suffered before finding our world-renowned minimally invasive GYN surgeons, and how their lives were changed for the better after a DualPortGYN or LAAM procedure.
“My new OBGYN referred me to see Dr. Paul J. Mackoul, MD, an endometriosis excision expert. During my consultation with him we discussed removing my right fallopian tube because it would interfere with the in vitro fertilization. We didn’t want to ruin any of our chances. Surgery was scheduled for September, 2012. Everything went smoothly as possible. He is an amazing doctor with fantastic bedside manner.”
Endometriosis excision, pelvic adhesion resection and removal of a fallopian tube made IVF possible for Janelle and her husband.
“I look over to my son Landon right now tearing up and smiling. I am truly honored to share my story to help other women have hope. We are beyond blessed with a beautiful healthy baby boy, born on September 6th, 2015. He was 7 pounds 9 ounces, 21 inches tall. We have 6 embryos frozen and waiting for us!”
“Within a 3-4 minute conversation with Dr. [Natalya] Danilyants, I had a better understanding of how my body worked than I had after 8 years’ worth of conversations with my regular OB/GYN,” said Raynelle.
A LAAM myomectomy was worth the travel from New Jersey. Raynelle was feeling back to herself in less than a week.
“December 22 (Tuesday) was my surgery. I drove down to CIGC. I have family in the area, so I was able to stay with them for the rest of that week. I went back to work a week later. I could have gone back before then. That Sunday (Dec 27th), I was at the Ravens/Steelers game in Baltimore.”
“If it wasn’t for Dr. MacKoul, I wouldn’t have this beautiful child,” said Brittany, Herndon, VA. “I had been trying for 4 years to have a baby. We were thinking about alternatives to natural conception. I went to my doctor after years not being able to get pregnant. At that point we decided to wait and see what happened. After waiting, I did get pregnant, but I had a miscarriage.”
“I had surgery with Dr. MacKoul to remove the dermoid cyst, and it was discovered during that surgery, that I had endometriosis and bowel adhesions. They cleaned me all up. Following my initial surgeon we returned to my doctor and they suggested IVF. My husband and I wanted to try on our own first. If it didn’t happen, we would go back to Shady Grove, but I got pregnant within a month.”
“I refer my patients to CIGC all the time,” said Dr. Nwadike. “Years ago, I met Dr. Paul MacKoul at the hospital where we both worked. I always refer all of my complicated cases to him. Patients would come back with such great reviews. They raved about the surgery, so even without experiencing it firsthand, I was their biggest cheerleader…”
Dr. Nwadike had difficulty with fibroids and had put off having surgery. When it was time for her to finally have a hysterectomy, she chose Dr. Natalya Danilyants at CIGC.
“As an OB/GYN, I wouldn’t even attempt to take out a uterus as large as mine, but with this procedure, it was possible. The hysterectomy is done without a power morcellator, and that was a shock to my colleagues as well. They thought that they must have to use a morcellator, but because of their advanced surgical skills, and using retroperitoneal dissection, power morcellation is unnecessary… I would recommend DualPortGYN to anyone. It is the procedure women deserve. It’s revolutionary. If you laid out all the types of hysterectomy that women can have side by side, why wouldn’t you choose this? I was showing my teeny incisions to my colleagues and they were amazed. They all have the CIGC number now and are making appointments.”
A history of ovarian cancer in your family doesn’t have to decide your fate. Women who have lost immediate family members to ovarian cancer already know that they are at a higher risk for developing the disease. After losing her mother and her grandmother to ovarian cancer, and faced with the likelihood that she was a high risk, local Washington, D.C. area radio host Chilli Amar decided years ago that she was going to be different.
“We put off things because it’s not the right time. When you have such a positive experience, you think ‘Why did I wait?’ Thanks to Dr. Paul MacKoul, MD at The Center for Innovative GYN Care, not only is my story better, but from beginning to end, my experience was incredible. I had a surgery on a Friday morning, and I was off all pain meds in three days, I wasn’t even taking ibuprofen. Dr. MacKoul said I would be back on my feet in about a week.”
“My nineteen pound fibroid took me by surprise. I had already had a myomectomy when I was in my late 20’s, so I thought I knew what to expect if they were to come back. I was wrong.”
In her 20s, Temple had an open myomectomy that left a large scar on her bikini line. Years later, a new fibroid grew, but without any of the normal signs.
“I didn’t have heavy bleeding, pelvic pain, or any of the common obvious symptoms that I had experienced before. I had a large increase in my belly size, and my belly felt hard and solid. When I asked my primary care physician (PCP), and he told me that I just needed to lose weight. I worked hard and after a year, I lost more than 20 pounds, yet my belly still was hard and getting larger. Multiple people asked me if I was pregnant and more than once I felt uncomfortable with the bloating, nothing I did was helping.”
“Luckily, I found The Center for Innovative GYN Care and Dr. Paul MacKoul, MD and Dr. Natalya Danilyants, MD. Due to the size of my fibroid, most doctors would have performed an open hysterectomy, with a large incision, possibly from my groin up to my belly button or higher. Even my PCP was surprised that I could have a laparoscopic hysterectomy at CIGC.”
“The original product flyer didn’t list any of the Essure risks. When I asked my OB/GYN about any risks, she said that there was a very, and she stressed very, small chance that some women have problems with it, but dismissively passed on my concerns by remarking that I was young enough that it shouldn’t be a problem. She said the risks on extraordinarily unusual cases included, migrating coils, perforating the fallopian tubes or perforating other pelvic organs, abnormal or irregular bleeding, ectopic pregnancies, and/or allergic reactions to the nickel contained in the device.”
After the implant (which did not go smoothly), Sarah felt like her body was set on self-destruct mode.
“My hair was falling out. My entire body was acting like it was under attack. I wasn’t able to recognize what was going on…I was horrified to discover that nearly all of the women in the Essure Problems support group I joined on Facebook have the same problems, and often times to a much worse degree than my own… I knew that I needed to stop seeing general practitioners and find the right specialist to help treat my rapidly deteriorating condition… That’s when I found out about Dr. Paul MacKoul, MD and the superior work that his team does. I scheduled a consultation with him right away. I was amazed at the flexibility he offers in scheduling. I got a Saturday afternoon appointment in Northern Virginia just a few miles from my home. I felt instantly positive and confident in his willingness to take my concerns seriously. I almost cried out loud as Dr. MacKoul reiterated in agreement that the symptoms I was concerned about were in fact, a very serious health problem.”
Sarah had a minimally invasive hysterectomy with the removal of both tubes on January 18, 2016. Dr. MacKoul located a small amount of endometriosis which he extracted, along with the fibroids and and the migrating Essure devices. The broken, right side device had ultimately reached the very top of the fallopian tube where it connects with the ovary, and had perforated through the walls of the fallopian tube, lodging dangerously close to the otherwise healthy right ovary.
The CIGC state-of-the-art specialists are available at three locations in the DC metro area. Virginia patients can visit the Reston, VA location, and Saturday appointments are available. Maryland offices are located in Rockville, MD and Annapolis, MD.
GYN surgical specialists can often see women sooner because they are focused entirely on surgery. Each patient gets detailed, in depth attention from Dr. Natalya Danilyants, Dr. Paul MacKoul and Dr. Rupen Baxi. This personalized care helps patients understand their condition and the recommended treatment so that they can have confidence from the very start. Our surgeons have performed over 20,000 GYN procedures and are constantly finding better ways to improve outcomes for patients.
Book a consultation today with Paul MacKoul MD, Natalya Danilyants MD or Rupen Baxi, MD.
Dr. Paul MacKoul Reviews: Vitals | RateMDs | Google | Wellness | UCompare
Dr. Natalya Danilyants Reviews: Vitals | RateMDs | Google | Wellness | UCompare
Dr. Rupen Baxi Reviews: Vitals | RateMDs | Google | HealthGrades | WebMD
CIGC TRAVEL PROGRAM
Even if you are not from the DC area, many patients travel to The Center for Innovative GYN Care for our groundbreaking procedures. We treat women from around the world who suffer from complex GYN conditions.
Schedule a consultation to learn more about how we can treat your condition today.
