Fertility Surgery

Using specialized surgical instruments and advanced medical technologies, our infertility specialists can examine and even operate on the reproductive organs without creating large incisions. Endoscopic surgery, which involves the use of very small cameras for visualization of the body’s internal structures, only requires a series of very tiny openings to allow doctors to perform many types of surgery. At Northern California Fertility Medical Center, we perform laparoscopy and hysteroscopy procedures for Sacramento-area patients who have certain physical conditions, such as endometriosis or a tubal blockage.

While access to the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and outside of the uterus is possible through laparoscopy, a hysteroscopy, performed by our Sacramento-area physicians, is a procedure that allows doctors to view the interior of the uterus. It can be used to identify and treat such conditions as uterine polyps, fibroids, scarring, or a septum (separation that divides the uterus into two cavities instead of one).

Hysteroscopy can be performed with the patient under local, regional, or general anesthesia. The best option in a particular case will be determined by the surgeon based on such factors as the type of hysteroscopy being performed (diagnostic versus operative) and in what type of surgical suite the procedure will be taking place.

Instead of making incisions in the abdomen, the surgeon will introduce a hysteroscope (similar to a laparoscope) into the uterus through the opening in the cervix. This may require the cervix to be slightly dilated (opened) with a special instrument. The uterus will be carefully inflated with carbon dioxide to make visualization and surgical access easier. Once the operation is complete, the gas is removed. Since the instruments are inserted through the cervix, there are no incisions to close. Recovery time for hysteroscopy will depend on the particular condition being treated, but is significantly shorter than with traditional surgery.