Traditional (open) fertility surgery is occasionally needed to treat more complex infertility issues

Some fertility problems require traditional surgery. For example, if you have multiple fibroid tumors in your uterus or if you have severe endometriosis or adhesions (scar tissue) that make surgery too risky to perform using minimally invasive techniques, your fertility specialist may choose to  perform your surgery through a larger abdominal incision, without using telescopes.

During a laparotomy, our highly trained fertility surgeons make a larger abdominal incision, typically measuring 3-4 inches and located just below the top of the “bikini-line” area.  Through this incision, they can use larger instruments which allow them to gain better exposure to your pelvic organs.  The actual incision size may vary, but your surgeon will always keep the incision as small as possible while still allowing for a safe and effective surgery.

Following surgery, patients will often require a short (1-2 day) hospital stay, though sometimes they are able to be discharged the day of surgery. Patients will usually require narcotic medication for pain relief following a laparotomy. You may usually return to work within 1-2 weeks following the performance of a laparotomy.