Diagnostic Laparoscopy
Hello, I have been struggling with a number of symptoms for years and finally had my referral appointment today. I have been added to the waiting list for a laparoscopy, if any endo is found it will be removed.
The doctor went through the risks which has concerned me slightly. Could anyone share their experience's and whether you think it is worth going through?
I am desperate to get answers but I'm 36 with a 4 year old. I don't want to put myself at unnecessary risk, I hope to have another child in the future.
I do have to say that it is a nice feeling speaking to a doctor that has taken me seriously. This has taken years...
Thanks for posting and sharing your situation with us. I would recommend doing the diagnostic lap to most folks. For me, it gave me the answers I'd been searching for, and helped me understand more about the disease. I was scared of surgery and honestly I put off going to a gynecologist for at least a year because I was scared they would recommend surgery. Recovery has been challenging for me each time (I've had four surgeries now) but I know for certain it was worth it for me. I have stage 4 disease and had I not ever done surgery it would have led to organ involvement and possibly damage. Before my last surgery I had lost a significant amount of my mobility, and I've got it all back now.
I will say that I was not someone who wanted children, so I was not concerned about the risks to my fertility. I had recurring endometriomas, so I did end up losing both ovaries. Is that the kind of risk you're talking about? I can understand how that would be concerning. I highly recommend you find a specialist who can perform high-level surgery, if needed. I have had four different surgeons and each one was more specialized than the person before them. This made a big difference to my outcomes; I believe if I'd seen my third and fourth surgeon at the beginning, I may have only needed one or two surgeries.
I'm not sure if you know, but excision surgery is the gold standard of care...if your doctor is recommending ablation, I would be cautious about that. It does not fully remove the disease. You can read more about the difference here: https://endometriosis.net/clinical/excision-ablation
If you have more specific questions about the risks, please feel free to reach out here or send me a DM. ~Katrina, Endometriosis.net Advocate
Hi there! These are great questions. Surgery is definitely a personal decision and your doctor should go over the pros and cons with you in a way that’s clear. But I’ll weigh in with my experience. I’ve had 3 laparoscopic surgeries — 2004, 2010, 2021 — and I think the 1st and 3rd were definitely worth it in a way I noticed afterward. (The 2nd doc wasn’t a specialist and used ablation (burning) to get rid of endometriomas only. She didn’t look elsewhere to remove scar tissue or other lesions.)
As far as I know, none of the procedures threatened my fertility. According to my doctors, endo surgery might’ve improved my chances of getting pregnant since I had endometriomas removed from my ovaries. Though, I have never been interested in having kids. So I can’t for sure if that’s correct in my case.
Likesaid, excision is the gold standard. And that’s the kind of surgery I had in 2021. It didn’t bring relief from my period pain (I likely have adenomyosis), but it did help ease the pain I was having with intercourse and some of my hip and leg pain, especially with exercise.
It’s important to go over expectations with your doctor. They should be able to tell you what surgery might or might not do for you and what kind of improvements to expect afterward. And I agree with you, it’s always good to have answers! Please let us know how things go! - Keri (endometriosis.net team member)
