Choosing a Surgeon

Obstetrics and Gynecology is a very unique field of medicine. There is no other specialty that combines primary care medicine with procedures such as delivering babies and gynecologic surgery. Most women establish a unique bond with their "ob/gyn" as they help them with common health problems and especially during the years of child bearing.

Gynecologic surgery is changing dramatically. Remarkable advances in women's surgery have been made within the last 5-10 years. The focus on providing options that are less invasive to women's lives has resulted in many changes from options offered in the past. Laparoscopic surgery and robotic surgery are two of the most notable.

As time moves forward we are seeing many instances where ob/gyn doctors find it difficult to "keep up" with these advances due to the focus that they must give to very busy obstetric practices. They just don't have time to learn and perfect the advanced techniques.

As patients face the need for surgical management of various problems, they should explore options that are available not just with their ob/gyn but also in the surrounding area. Researching available surgical options and surgeon experiences and outcomes can make a dramatic difference in the impact surgery will have on a patient's life.

Just as you would research to find the best general surgeon or heart doctor, you should also use the same approach when choosing the doctor to perform your gynecologic surgery.

Most gynecologic problems requiring surgery are discovered by a woman's primary, established ob/gyn. At that time, discussions should be made of procedures that are appropriate as well as how those procedures are completed.

Many communities have gynecologic surgeons who have completed special training in minimally invasive surgery techniques for hysterectomy, endometriosis, firbroids, pelvic prolapse and other conditions. Minimally invasive surgery by the right surgeon can result in a high rate of completion without needing to perform "open" surgery.

Some surgeons have extra fellowship training in laproscopic and robotic surgery to handle even the most complex surgeries with minimally invasive techniques. Surgeons trained in this way offer surgeries to their patients with less pain, less recovery time, shorter hospital stays, less bleeding with lower risk of blood transfusion, smaller incisions, less risk of wound infections and a high patient satisfaction rate.

Laparoscopic and robotic surgery may not be appropriate with some medical conditions, but in my experience 99% of gynecologic surgeries can be completed without the need for "open" abdominal incisions.