Endometriosis Resection Surgery in Leesburg
If you have been diagnosed with endometriosis, you have likely dealt with terrible pain and heavy menstrual bleeding. Cramps associated with menstruation are normal, but the pain usually found with endometriosis can be unbearable. The endometrium is the tissue that lines inside the uterus. Endometriosis occurs when endometrium tissue grows outside of the uterus resulting in displaced tissue that may cause severe pain and heavy menstrual cycles. It can also cause infertility.
Living with endometriosis can be frightening and debilitating due to the extreme pelvic pain it can cause. Delayed diagnosis is common because it requires a surgical procedure to inspect the pelvic area for endometrial tissue. When our team performs endometriosis resection surgery in Leesburg it is a minimally invasive laparoscopic procedure that may allow for diagnosis and treatment in a single surgery.
What is Endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue normally found inside the uterus attaches to organs outside the uterus. It is unknown if this tissue migrates from the uterus or emerges spontaneously. Outside the uterus, this tissue acts as regular endometrium, swelling, shedding, and bleeding just as it would inside the uterus. Because blood has nowhere to exit the body, pain and scar tissue can occur.
The tissue may be found on the exterior of the uterus, bowels, fallopian tubes, ovaries, bladder, or any other internal organs, although it usually remains within the pelvic cavity. The tissue growing in abnormal areas can pull on internal structures, which may also cause pain. In some instances, two independent organs become bound to one another by the endometrium.
The most common symptoms of endometriosis are excessive menstrual bleeding, painful periods, pain with intercourse, or infertility. Other symptoms include diarrhea, constipation, nausea, bloating, lower back pain, and fatigue, especially during a woman’s period. The severity of symptoms is not an accurate indicator of the extent of the condition. Endometrial resection surgery is one of the only ways to diagnose this condition in our Leesburg and Centreville patients.
How Endometriosis Resection Surgery Works
Although hormone therapy, like birth control, can help with symptoms of endometriosis, the only way to remove the extrauterine tissue it is to excise it. Endometriosis resection is a minimally invasive surgery that our OBGYNs in Leesburg may perform. This surgery may offer immediate symptom relief and restore fertility.
During this laparoscopic procedure, the surgeon makes a small incision in the naval and inflates the abdomen with gas to make the internal structures more accessible. The surgeon then inserts a slender tool called a laparoscope to view inside the abdomen and look for adhesions. Abnormal extrauterine tissue is removed through additional small incisions and sent to the lab to confirm suspected endometriosis. The adhesions, and any associated scar tissue, are removed while maintaining the healthy tissue around it.
For most patients in Leesburg and Centreville, endometriosis resection surgery is an outpatient procedure. After surgery, patients may experience shoulder pain and discomfort due to excess gas left in the abdominal cavity that rises when they sit up. The gas should dissipate shortly after surgery. Unfortunately, some people with endometriosis will have a reoccurrence of adhesions and require additional surgery. Birth control and other hormone therapies could help reduce this risk.
Choosing Resection Surgery in Leesburg for Endometriosis
Endometriosis is often mistaken for other disorders like pelvic inflammatory disease or irritable bowel syndrome. Often women will be suffering for years before they put a name to their symptoms. After living with the intense pain of endometriosis, a diagnosis can be a relief, but it is understandable to be anxious about your condition and subsequent treatment.
Our caring team is here to make each step of this process as smooth as possible and get you back to living your life. Endometriosis resection surgery in Leesburg and Centreville is minimally invasive, usually outpatient, and a common choice for doctors and patients when it comes to treatment. Whether you are ready to undergo surgery as soon as possible or need time to consider your options, our medical team is here to support you.