Fibroids affect up to 80% of all women, and many struggle with symptoms for years before seeking surgical treatment. Minimally invasive removal of fibroids can relieve symptoms such as heavy menstrual bleeding and pelvic pain, and women get back to their normal lives in days vs weeks.
Minimally invasive myomectomy is a fertility sparing procedure. At The Center for Innovative GYN Care, advanced surgical specialists use the LAAM technique to remove fibroids with 2 small incisions. The LAAM procedure is one of the least invasive and most thorough uterus sparing surgeries for fibroids, and it is only performed on patients who are able to retain fertility. When fertility is no longer a viable option (1% or less), and fibroid symptoms are severe, a myomectomy is not recommended.
Hysterectomy is definitive treatment of fibroids and it is performed at CIGC with the DualPortGYN technique. Women generally recover in 1 week after DualPortGYN hysterectomy, and only two 5 mm incisions are used. A minimally invasive hysterectomy achieves permanent relief from symptoms, as opposed to myomectomy, where additional surgery may be necessary if fibroids recur.
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A myomectomy is a fertility-sparing procedure, designed to surgically remove fibroids. When fibroids become large, they can distort the uterus, making it harder for women to conceive and carry to term. Early treatment is important in order to prevent further issues, and seeking the help of a specialist is essential.
Thorough removal of fibroids is possible for many patients. A myomectomy is not definitive treatment as fibroids can still return. The only definitive treatment is hysterectomy. A minimally invasive myomectomy relieves symptoms such as heavy menstrual bleeding, and prepares the uterus for pregnancy. With CIGC’s LAAM approach, laparoscopic myomectomy is performed using 2 small incisions. Women recover in less than 2 weeks and many are able to conceive naturally after surgery. In order to achieve a healthy pregnancy, women should wait at least 3 months after surgery before pursuing fertility options as it is essential for the uterus to be completely healed.
When it comes to a fibroid removal procedure, the surgical approach plays a great role in the patient’s recovery. The ability to perform thorough removal with smaller and fewer incisions leads to less complications and post-operative pain. Placement of incisions through the midline of the abdomen, bypassing the lateral abdominal muscles, allows for a safer surgery and a faster recovery.
CIGC surgeons developed the LAAM technique for myomectomy and the DualPortGYN approach for hysterectomy as definitive fibroid removal, to improve surgical outcomes. The use of the smallest incisions possible, including ultra-minilaparotomy, provides remarkable surgical results.
“Ultra-minilaparotomy is considered to be cosmetically superior as the incision is made along the natural cleavage of the skin folds. It is made in the midline and is very small, therefore, sparing the nerves and blood vessels on the lateral edges of the abdomen. It combines the best advantages of open and laparoscopic techniques.” said CIGC’s Rupen Baxi MD.
PATIENT TESTIMONIALS: RECOVERY AFTER ADVANCED FIBROID REMOVAL
CIGC patient and Maryland-based OBGYN, Dr. Valinda Nwadike, chose to undergo DualPortGYN hysterectomy as definitive fibroid treatment. Three days after her surgery, she was delivering babies.
“Dr. Natalya Danilyants advised me to take it easy for a week. The next day my son had a doctor’s appointment at 4PM and I felt well enough to sit with him in the waiting room, and then I went to dinner. Three days after the surgery, I was scheduled to work a 24 hour shift at the hospital, and delivered three babies. I was a little tired, but it didn’t slow me down. The next day, my husband and I drove to North Carolina. My husband drove, and I felt fine during the ride. I was told not to run for a couple of weeks, but I was fine doing boot camp a week later. I didn’t need any narcotics, I didn’t have any bleeding.” Dr. Nwadike said. Her full story is available here.
Lindsay (33) chose to travel from Dallas, TX for advanced laparoscopic myomectomy with the LAAM technique. She went through extensive research to find the option with the best possible outcome.
“My surgery was on a Thursday and I just flew in the day before. I didn’t know what to expect, I thought I was going to be in crazy pain at least for the weekend. But the next day, I woke up, and I felt great. We actually went site-seeing. That was amazing, the day after surgery I was up and moving. I used pain killers for about 3 nights. By the day I got back to Dallas, I was off painkillers. There wasn’t really pain, I just felt sore. It was completely different than I expected.” Lindsay said. You can read her story here.
TALK TO US ABOUT YOUR OPTIONS
A minimally invasive approach to fibroid removal is in the patient’s best interest. Many women residing outside the DC area choose to travel to CIGC for advanced GYN surgery as these procedures allow them to recover faster and to get back to their lives sooner. Patients recover in less than 2 weeks after LAAM myomectomy and within 1 week after DualPortGYN hysterectomy.
Heavy menstrual bleeding from GYN conditions like fibroids and adenomyosis is common. Excessive blood loss can cause anemia, and if the patient does not seek treatment, it can lead to potentially life-threatening complications such as congestive heart failure, arrhythmia, angina, and/or heart attack. This recent WTOP articles speaks about the risks and signs women should look out for: Anemia: The life-threatening risks of blood loss from fibroids
CIGC patient Tonya suffered for years from fibroids and adenomyosis, and her symptoms got progressively worse.
“One month, I was hemorrhaging, and then all of a sudden, the bleeding stopped but the pain didn’t. I remember being in the house, and I was very weak. I was very anemic. I walked across the street to a Starbucks, I thought I needed something to eat. As soon as I was in Starbucks, I had to sit down, because I was feeling really dizzy, and really shaky. I went next door to an urgent care and they had to put me into a wheelchair because I couldn’t stand any longer. After all of the tests, they determined I was dehydrated from losing so much blood.”
Many of our patients travel from out-of-town and from out-of-country for advanced minimally invasive GYN surgery at CIGC. Women who don’t have minimally invasive treatment options for their GYN condition closer to home can now benefit from CIGC’s groundbreaking techniques through our travel program. Innovative procedures like DualPortGYN and LAAM were developed by Paul MacKoul and Natalya Danilyants to improve surgical outcomes for patients and to help them recover faster.
GYN surgery for complex conditions like large fibroids and extensive endometriosis is now possible with only 2 small incisions and recovery in less than 2 weeks. Many times women are recommended open or robotic surgery and this is not longer necessary with advanced laparoscopic techniques.
We want to make traveling for GYN surgery from long distances as seamless as possible. Read about CIGC’s travel program and contact us online or at 888-SURGERY to book an appointment. CIGC has offices in Rockville, MD, Annapolis, MD and Reston VA.
With up to 80% of women struggling with fibroid symptoms, many come to CIGC looking for a better fibroid removal surgery. When it comes to surgical treatment, many procedures are still performed unnecessarily as open, and untrained specialists recommend hysterectomy when it is unnecessary. It’s important for women to do their research and get to know their options so they can choose a safer, less invasive surgery.
“No large incision! I have to look for it. I was back to work in 2 weeks. I had 17 fibroids removed. Three of them were really big. I felt excavated, all of the junk removed. It feels so liberating to have them all out!” said Azundai about her procedure with Dr. Paul J. MacKoul. You can read her full story here.
“I had heard and seen what other women had gone through for fibroid removal. Their recoveries were much longer. I really appreciated the small incisions. I compared what I experienced to other women when I got home, and they were amazed.” said Jenny, who traveled from Wisconsin to Maryland for her LAAM procedure with Natalya Danilyants MD. You can read her full story here.
Many CIGC patients struggling to conceive have found that GYN surgery for conditions like fibroids or endometriosis can often clear the path to motherhood. Fibroids affect up to 80% of women and they can interfere with a woman’s ability to conceive and carry to term. Endometriosis affects more than 5 million women in the U.S. and it is the leading cause of female infertility. Fertility investments can be expensive and it is important to diagnose and treat GYN conditions early in order to prevent future damage.
Former CIGC patient Sherri C, now living in New York, was struggling with a large fibroid 10 years ago and was looking for minimally invasive treatment options in Maryland. She chose to have a myomectomy procedure for her fibroid removal, to preserve fertility. As fibroids often return after a myomectomy, Sheri struggled with fibroids again 10 years later, when she was living in New York. NY came up short with minimally invasive options for her surgery and Sherri decided to travel back to Maryland for LAAM myomectomy with Paul MacKoul MD. Read Sherri’s story on CIGC’s blog: Traveling For Fibroid Surgery With Dr. Paul MacKoul, MD
A common approach to managing fibroids is the “watch and wait method. This is in fact an outdated philosophy as letting fibroids grow can increases the risks of miscarriages and infertility as well as severe GYN symptoms like abnormal bleeding, pelvic pain, bloating and uterine distortion. Large fibroids can even put women at risk for a hysterectomy.
The location of the fibroid, and not its size, is the key factor when it comes to fertility. Fibroids growing within the uterine lining, or developing within the muscle, can distort the uterine cavity. The result is often difficulty conceiving and a higher risk of miscarriage.
Current advancements in minimally invasive GYN surgery make it possible to safely remove fibroids with only 2 small incisions and repair the uterus by hand to ensure it heals properly for future fertility. The innovative LAAM technique was developed at CIGC by surgical specialists Paul MacKoul MD and Natalya Danilyants MD.
Find out more about the connection between fibroids and fertility and the risks of delaying fibroid treatment in Dr. MacKoul’s recent Tumblr blog: Letting Fibroids Grow Can Lead To Infertility.
CIGC patients have kindly agreed to share stories of their improved lives after minimally invasive GYN surgery. We often see women dealing with pain & discomfort from GYN conditions, who have tried everything and have had multiple failed surgeries before coming to CIGC. After being exposed to robotics and open surgery, the idea that a minimally invasive approach is possible can be eye-opening.
Seeing women like Heidi, Helene, Emily, and Ljubica share their stories with the world can empower other women to ask better questions, and not settle for living a life in pain or unable to conceive.
