The risks associated with fibroids can be dangerous — especially if they are given time to grow. If not treated early, uterine fibroids can become very large and cause significant complications. The most effective fibroid removal surgery techniques are either laparoscopic myomectomy for women who wish to maintain fertility or laparoscopic hysterectomy if fertility is not desired or possible. When seeking treatment for fibroids — if an OBGYN suggests fibroids are too large for laparoscopic surgery — it may be time to look for a second opinion from a specialist. With LAAM® fibroid removal and DualPortGYN®, the minimally invasive GYN specialists at The Center for Innovative GYN Care (CIGC®) offer advanced surgical techniques that can relieve the pain and complications associated with large fibroids.
Although many women are told by their OBGYNs or general practitioners that they should watch and wait, ignoring symptoms or delaying fibroid treatment can lead to anemia, infertility, and problems with the kidneys, bowel, bladder, or circulatory system. If diagnosed with fibroids and not given a surgical solution, it’s crucial that women seek a specialist as the first step in regaining control of their GYN health.
Large fibroids that push into the uterine cavity often lead to lower implantation and pregnancy rates and increased rates of miscarriage. The risks of waiting to see what happens with fibroids far outweigh any benefit, specifically when planning a pregnancy because the rapid growth of fibroids can distort the uterus. Once this happens, it is essential to speak to an advanced laparoscopic GYN specialist.
To maintain fertility, fibroids may be able to be removed with a myomectomy procedure. Many non-specialists, including OBGYNs, will not perform a myomectomy on a patient with large fibroids and may only recommend a hysterectomy. As the only real cure for fibroids, a hysterectomy takes the possibility of having children off the table and is often performed as an open procedure with a long and painful recovery.
For some women, advanced technologies such as a LAAM fibroid removal can give the option of preserving their fertility while eliminating fibroids. Alternatively, the DualPortGYN hysterectomy advanced laparoscopic procedure may be used to remove the uterus and all fibroids present.
For CIGC patient Akena, her fibroids were removed previously in an open procedure by her OBGYN — but they returned within a few years.
“The cramps got heavier, the bleeding got heavier. I could feel them. I knew they were going to be a problem and they are only going to get bigger.”
Still hoping to have children, she sought out a specialist and found Dr. Paul MacKoul, MD, at CICG.
“The results of my test were not what I wanted to hear. My uterus was essentially non-existent. The fibroids were pressing on my bladder and would engulf it if I didn’t take care of this. Dr. MacKoul was honest, saying the likelihood that you are going to be able to get pregnant on your own is very, very low.”
Pregnancy was not going to be an option for Akena, and Dr. MacKoul explained the reality of her situation and what would be best for her health.
“I realized having a hysterectomy was the best option for my particular situation. I had to shelve the fact that I’m not going to have a kid that comes from my own body. The fibroids were so large and affecting other things on the inside that he also had to remove an ovary. My recovery has been amazing. The incisions are small, and it was nothing like having an open procedure.”
For many OBGYNs, the difficulty in treating large fibroids is effectively due to the lack of advanced skills required to perform laparoscopic removal, either via myomectomy or hysterectomy.
Robotic or standard laparoscopic myomectomy techniques are limited in their ability to treat large fibroids successfully and have higher risks of complications during and after the procedure.
Even with technological advancements, not all laparoscopic procedures are the same. And, when it comes to GYN surgery, a surgeon’s patient volume is crucial because they often see more complex cases and may perform laparoscopic fibroid procedures more frequently. In many cases, OBGYNs perform a low volume of surgeries each year and few are trained on laparoscopic techniques. As a result, many patients are only offered open procedures — making a second opinion from a GYN surgical specialist essential.
The CIGC difference is our training and our techniques. Thousands of women have turned to the CIGC laparoscopic GYN specialists for our state-of-the-art procedures. On average, CIGC surgeons perform 2,000 laparoscopic GYN surgeries annually, including hysterectomy, myomectomy, endometriosis excision, pelvic adhesion removal, and ovarian cystectomy. CIGC provides high-skill and high-volume laparoscopic surgeries that contribute to an incomparable level of expertise. If you’re unhappy with treatment options available from your OBGYN, book a consultation with a CIGC specialist and take the first step toward a pain-free life.
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.
CIGC is dedicated to providing information and materials for women to help navigate the complicated healthcare system. The CIGC founders, minimally invasive GYN surgical specialists Dr. Paul MacKoul, MD and Dr. Natalya Danilyants, MD, developed their advanced GYN surgical techniques using only two small incisions with patients’ well-being in mind.
Their personalized approach to 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 or Natalya Danilyants MD.
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Dr. Natalya Danilyants Reviews: Vitals | RateMDs | Google | Wellness | UCompare
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