If your doctor tells you that you need pelvic surgery, your mind probably jumps straight to the worst-case scenario: a massive incision across your stomach, a long hospital stay, and weeks of painful recovery away from your job and your family.
That is the old way of doing things.
Dr. Lakshmi Priya specializes in advanced laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery. Instead of making a large, traumatic cut through your abdominal muscles to see inside your pelvis, we use high-definition cameras and highly specialized micro-instruments inserted through incisions smaller than a fingernail. You get the exact same surgical fix, but with a fraction of the pain and a drastically faster return to your normal life.
Why Would I Need Laparoscopic Surgery?
We do not rush to surgery. We only recommend a laparoscopy when medications or lifestyle changes have failed to stop your pain, or when an ultrasound reveals a physical problem that must be surgically removed.
Dr. Priya frequently uses laparoscopic surgery to diagnose and permanently treat:
- Unexplained Chronic Pelvic Pain: If you are in constant pain but your ultrasounds keep coming back “normal,” a diagnostic laparoscopy allows us to physically look inside your pelvis to find hidden issues like scar tissue (adhesions) and safely cut them away.
- Ovarian Cysts: While many cysts dissolve on their own, some grow too large, become painfully twisted (ovarian torsion), or threaten to rupture. We can carefully drain or remove these cysts while leaving your healthy ovary completely intact.
- Ectopic Pregnancy: If a pregnancy implants outside the uterus (usually in the fallopian tube), it cannot survive and poses a life-threatening risk to the mother. We use emergency laparoscopy to safely remove the pregnancy and repair or remove the damaged tube.
- Endometriosis and Fibroids: We use advanced keyhole techniques to meticulously cut out deep endometriosis tissue and remove bulky uterine fibroids, relieving severe pain and heavy bleeding while preserving your fertility. (Note: We have dedicated pages detailing these specific treatments).
How the Procedure Actually Works
A laparoscopy is performed in an operating room under general anesthesia, meaning you are completely asleep and will not feel or remember anything.
- The Keyholes: Once you are asleep, Dr. Priya makes a tiny incision (usually about 5 to 10 millimeters) right inside or just below your belly button. She may make one or two additional tiny incisions lower on your bikini line.
- Creating Space: We gently inflate your abdomen with harmless carbon dioxide gas. This acts like a tent, lifting your abdominal wall away from your internal organs so we have a clear, safe space to work.
- The Camera and Instruments: We insert a laparoscope (a thin telescope with a high-definition camera and bright light) through the belly button incision. This beams a highly magnified view of your pelvic organs onto a large monitor in the operating room. We then pass microscopic surgical tools through the other tiny incisions to perform the actual surgery.
- Closing Up: Once the problem is fixed, we release the gas, remove the instruments, and close the tiny incisions with a few dissolving stitches or surgical glue.
The Recovery: What to Expect When You Wake Up
Because we do not slice through your core abdominal muscles, the trauma to your body is minimal. Most laparoscopic procedures are done on an outpatient basis, meaning you will go home the exact same day.
- The Gas Pain (The Hidden Symptom): When you wake up, you will have normal surgical soreness at the incision sites. However, many women are surprised to feel sharp, aching pain in their shoulders or upper chest. This is entirely normal. It is caused by trapped pockets of the carbon dioxide gas pressing on your diaphragm nerve. It usually dissipates within 24 to 48 hours as your body absorbs the gas. Walking around your house helps clear it faster.
- Getting Back to Normal: You will need to rest for the first few days, but you should not be bedridden. Most women manage their pain easily with standard medications and can comfortably return to a desk job and light daily activities within one to two weeks.
- Scarring: Because the incisions are so small, the resulting scars fade into tiny, faint lines that are usually completely hidden by your belly button and your underwear line.
Advanced Surgery, Safer Recovery
Do not let the fear of a massive surgery stop you from treating your pain. We use the most advanced minimally invasive techniques available to fix the root cause of your condition and get you back to living your life.
Book your appointment online and upload your recent pelvic ultrasounds or MRI reports so we can plan the safest surgical approach for you.
