Laparoscopy

Laparoscopic surgery is carried out under general anaesthesia and allows a specialist to determine specific causes of female factor infertility. It is a costly and invasive procedure that should follow a number of other fertility tests or the instruction of a specialist.

A laparoscopy involves:

• Insertion of a narrow telescopic-like instrument through an incision around the belly button.
• Allows the physician to observe the abdominal and pelvic organs.
• The specialist can identify scar tissue, fibroids, endometriosis, or other abnormalities around the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries.
• In some cases, certain defects may be operated on during this procedure.
• A laparoscopy takes between 20 minutes and 2 hours, depending on the amount of corrective work to be done.
• You can expect to experience mild to moderate pain for up to 7 days post-procedure and 1-2 days of bed rest is recommended.
• Complications may include damage to other pelvic organs, such as the bladder, ureter, bowel, and blood vessels as well as post-operative infection. 
• If tests confirm a severe sperm defect, reduced ovarian reserve, or ovulation problems, a laparoscopy is unlikely to be of any advantage.