Reproductive Surgery

At Fertility Specialists of Houston we believe it is essential for our patients to understand what is happening to them every step of the way. We want you to maintain a feeling of control about the process. After your initial consultation our physician will be able to determine a preliminary diagnosis and make testing recommendations.

Once the initial work-up is complete and test results are reviewed, a diagnosis can be pinpointed and a treatment plan begun. We will educate you thoroughly about your particular diagnosis, but we have provided an overview below. Please contact us if you have any questions about this information or your own specific situation.

Reproductive disorders may cause challenges in a woman's ability to conceive and preserve a pregnancy. Surgeries that are performed to help restore or maintain pregnancy is called reproductive surgery. The physicians at Fertility Specialists of Houston are experienced in minimally invasive procedures to help couples conceive and carry out full-term pregnancies.

Reproductive surgeries performed are outpatient procedures done both laparoscopic and hysteroscopic, and are performed to help treat reproductive disorders such as:

Internal scar tissue, or adhesions, is a primary cause for decreased fertility. Adhesions can form after pelvic infections, endometriosis, prior abdominal or pelvic surgeries, or other prior injuries. As internal organs and tissues try unsuccessfully to repair themselves, adhesions form between pelvic organs such as the ovary or tube, reducing fertility. Thus, multiple surgical attempts to remove scar tissue around a woman's pelvic organs are usually unsuccessful. Laparoscopic adhesion removal, if feasible, is now considered preferable; several studies have shown that this particular type of surgery may cause fewer adhesions to occur or recur. Our infertility practice is now investigating surgical adhesion removal with concomitant use of a barrier device to prevent organs from adhering to one another as healing occurs.

Tubal problems such as obstruction ("blockage") in the first segment (nearest to the uterus) or at the end of the end of the tube (nearest to the ovary) are also common infertility factors. Blockage in the first segment of the tube can often be removed by inserting a catheter (tube) into this portion of the fallopian tube. As infertility specialists, we are specially trained to perform this type of surgery.

Tubal obstruction at the end of the tube is much harder to treat surgically with significant success. Usually such obstruction is due to prior pelvic infections or surgery, and concomitant adhesions are present. Subsequent surgical repair faces two big hurdles: one being the removal of the adhesions, and the other being the functional quality of the tube itself. As mentioned above, adhesions often reform, binding the tube down or causing the obstruction to reform. We use additional barrier devices to prevent the adhesions from forming again and a significant improvement.

Additionally, however the damage that caused the tubal obstruction usually affects the internal working of the tube. Pelvic infections usually, destroy the tiny hairs ("cilia") along the inside of the tube that help the eggs and sperm move along the tube. This makes the surgical opening of the tube unfavorable since the tube still may not work normally afterwards. A patient may believe that her surgery will enable her to conceive when, in reality, the damage remains or the risk of ("ectopic") pregnancy is very high. Patients that have damage to "cilia" in the tube will require IVF.

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