Surgery

Laparoscopy

Information regarding laparoscopy is provided under our ‘diagnosis’ section. Dependent upon your symptoms, medical/surgical history, and/or prior fertility treatment, a laparoscopy may be recommended as an initial or subsequent step to enhance your chances of pregnancy. In addition to treatment of endometriosis, pelvic adhesions, and ovarian cysts, a procedure that is sometimes employed in conjunction with laparoscopy is ovarian diathermy. Specifically, for women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) that have not responded to treatment with medications for ovulation induction (e.g. clomiphene), ovarian diathermy has been shown in some instances to produce a comparable pregnancy response to follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) injections (Bayram N et al, British Medical Journal, January 2004)

Hysteroscopy

Information regarding hysteroscopy is provided under our ‘diagnosis’ section. If a woman has not had a reassuring assessment of her uterine cavity in the preceding year, a hysteroscopy may be done as a precursor to fertility treatment, particularly if she has a history or symptoms suggesting an abnormality of the uterus or cervix.

Microsurgical Tubal Ligation Reversal

As pregnancy rates with assisted reproductive technology have increased, patients are requesting tubal ligation reversal less frequently than IVF. Nonetheless, women with a strong desire to restore their fertility potential following tubal ligation can undergo a reversal procedure. Whether or not this is the best option is ultimately dependent upon a number of factors, including the nature of the previous sterilization procedure, age of the female partner, and fertility potential of the male partner.