The inability to conceive can be an emotional turmoil or frustrating for many women. With couples struggling to conceive, one of the most preferred tests suggested by doctors might be laparoscopy for infertility. The test allows the doctor to take a close look at the woman’s pelvic areas to better understand the underlying reasons of the case. With the rapid advancements in medical technology, laparoscopy has become a great solution for fertility testing, treating infertility issues, and providing individuals with a highly relevant and precise diagnosis
What is Laparoscopy?
This is a minimally invasive surgery and doesn’t require any major cuts. The doctor simply uses it to view the organs inside the abdomen by making small cuts near the belly button area, instead of the traditional surgical incision. This is followed by the insertion of a camera called a laparoscope, which is a thin tube in actual.
Laparoscope allows the physician to take a complete view of the uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes in real time.
The overall procedure is quite less painful than normal open surgery and also the recovery rate is quite quick. One doesn’t need to expect long hospital stays. Most of the times, this is used in gynaecology for inspecting and diagnosing different female reproductive health issues.
When is Laparoscopy Recommended for Infertility?
Mostly, the laparoscopy fertility procedure is suggested by doctors when the results of other relevant tests are still unclear and don’t provide with the desired precise answers. These tests include blood work, hysterosalpingography (HSG), and pelvic ultrasound. Therefore, if a woman has still not succeeded despite trying to conceive for a full year, and especially if she already experiences relevant conditions like PCOS, severe pelvic pain, or painful periods, then laparoscopy might be the next step to give doctors a full-view of the pelvic organs and help them detect issues that regular tests might miss. Most importantly, it is quite useful when conditions like endometriosis or pelvic adhesions are suspected.
What Conditions Can Be Detected?
Laparoscopy for infertility enables doctors to easily diagnose the underlying issues of female fertility that are otherwise difficult to diagnose via non-invasive procedures. Here are a few conditions that can be detected as a result of this procedure:
Endometriosis
This problem occurs when the tissue that lines the inside of the uterus grows outside it and thus this becomes a major cause of infertility. Further, if the issue remains uncatered, this can lead to inflammation, scarring, and even damage to the ovaries or fallopian tubes. Also, endometriosis hardly shows any symptoms from the outside, which makes it very hard to recognise or diagnose, for which laparoscopy is required. It helps doctors spot these growths as well as remove or burn them successfully to help women increase their chances of fertility.
Pelvic Adhesions
This condition can be a result of previous surgeries, or infections. As well as if the patient has experienced endometriosis before and it remains untreated, then it might also lead to these adhesions that comprise bands of scar tissue between internal organs. These organs then stick together and prevent the egg from travelling through the fallopian tube. With laparoscopy, doctors can not only easily detect these adhesions but can also remove them successfully.
Tubal Obstructions
This is another underlying reason of infertility in women, in which the fallopian tube gets blocked or damaged, thus stopping the sperm from meeting the effs. Via laparoscopy, doctors can see a clearer view of it, while some of these blockages can also be seen via HSG test. Doctors can thus closely examine these tubes and ensure that they are open or not by injecting a specific type of dye during the non-invasive surgery.
How the Procedure Works?
This process is carried out in a hospital or surgical center, and general anesthesia is first given to the patient. Here’s how it works:
- Firstly, an incision that is small in size is made by the surgeon near the belly button.
- To get a perfect view, a gas (mostly CO2) is passed on to the abdomen for lifting the organs.
- The laparoscope is then inserted into the incision.
- For inserting surgical tools, more small cuts can be made to the area.
- The doctor then clearly observes and examines the relevant areas including the uterus, fallopian tubes, and the ovaries.
At the end of the procedure, if any problem is detected, it is straight away treated. The overall process takes around half an hour to 1.5 hours depending on the complexity of the case.
Risks and Recovery
Though the entire process is considered much safer, it is always advisable to check out the small risk factors associated, same like in the case of other surgeries. A few of the inconveniences as a result of this procedure include damage of organs, infection, and even bleeding in some cases. Please note that these conditions are rare and don’t expect their probability in every procedure. Further, the recovery time is another notable aspect of the treatment. While most of the women may quickly recover, a few among them might complain of abdominal pain or bloating as a result of the aforementioned gas used during the procedure. Painkillers can help alleviate the pain and the patients can thus return to their normal activities within a week if they carefully follow the doctor’s post-surgery and recovery instructions and precautions.
Laparoscopy as a Fertility Treatment Tool
Other than helping in the infertility diagnosis, this method is also a proven choice for treating the condition, helping surgeons detect and fix the abnormal tissue growths in the pelvic area, unblock the fallopian tubes, and remove the pelvic adhesions whatever their underlying reasons are. Further, this process itself greatly increases the chances of fertility restoration and the likelihood of becoming parents. In many cases, women have reported to naturally and successfully conceive after undergoing the treatment. Also, the insights of the process help doctors plan the next steps in an informed way and offer recommendations accordingly.
Conclusion
For many women, laparoscopy for infertility has proven to be a blessing, providing them with great relief and a new hope for starting a family. If you are also among those struggling to conceive and want answers to your questions, then this post can surely help you out.