LAVH: Because infertile - dr says LAVH may be tough

So glad I found you! LAVH scheduled on May 26th. I am 41 years old and infertile...we still aren't sure why. Had a Mirena IUD several months ago. Horrible pain, knocked me to my knees. Finally decided to pull it out and been bleeding even worse sense. He said the uterus had never been messed with so it was "fighting back" - ha ha. My doctor is a cutie.

Met with dr last Friday and he said we've run out of options, hysterectomy is next. But.....because I have never been pregnant he says that my uterus may once again not play nice....that it has been in one spot for 41 years (with no pregnancies to change it) and that instead of being able to do this laproscopically that he may need to make an abdominal incision.

Has anyone had LAVH while never having kids? What was your recovery? He told me that because my uterus has been undisturbed that I cannot compare it to someone who has had three children.

What do you think? What should I expect?

My doctor told me the same. That due to the size of my friboid tumor plus the fact that I've never had children (I am 40) she did not recommend doing the Vaginal Hysterectomy.
Have you checked your options? And if your doc says that, then why not do the abdominal instead?

I think he wants to try the vaginal because the recovery time is better. But now that I am reading all of these posts it has me wondering.....is that the best thing??

If the vaginal doesn't go well, then I will have all of the pain from the vaginal AND the incision. hmmm...

Have you had your surgery? What are you doing?

Hi, my date is May 26th as well and I am 41 plus I have never had any children. My doctor is doing the incision she stated that she didn't want to try vaginal.

One of the things i've seen written here is that if you have doubts about the procedure, any procedure, get a second (or if needed, a third) opinion. I'm having a da Vinci TAH w/BSO (both ovaries removed) on the 21st. I had a "backhanded" first opinion and went for an "official" second opinion from a Dr in a different office from the first one. I'm glad i did. Due to family history, i'm not surprised that i've got the issues i do (fibroids and lots of ovarian cysts), but hearing two different views of what's going on inside me was a help. This site is a wonderful resource and don't hesitate to ask any question here. I've learned so much and feel better able to deal with the whole thing.

I hope you get the information you need so you can make a decision you're comfortable with.

Hugs!
HWM

I was never pregnant and had a TVH, no problems. Good recovery, minimal pain. No warning that not having beEn pregnant could have been an issue so this is the 1st I've ever heard that. Its an easier recovery so I'm happy not to have had a TAH. Good luck with your surgery.

i also never had any children - never heard from my gyn or surgeon that that would have any impact on removal of the uterus - did say they might not be able to remove things vaginally due to that fact - but they were able to do the surgery robotically (davinci) and vaginally.

my thought is get another opinion to make a more informed decision

I had a similar experience to yours before surgery. I'm 40, and my Dr. told me that since I've never had children, they may encounter difficulties during the LAVH procedure, and may have to convert to an abdominal incision. Since I had an ultrasound beforehand, she knew the size of my uterus, and when I asked before surgery, she said there was about a 20% chance of needing to convert in my case.

She said that she would convert if she had difficulties, because sometimes the vagina can "shred" (OUCH!!!!) during an LAVH, and it would be much easier to heal from the abdominal incision than from more incisions to repair the vagina.

Thankfully, she was able to complete it without converting (and without my vagina "shredding" ), even though my uterus was somewhat larger than normal.

I would advise a second opinion from a gyno specializing in least invasive surgery. I can understand that a denser cervix makes a vaginal approach complicated but that doesn't make a huge abdominal incision your only option. I am 40 with no kids, having the Davinci surgery on 4/22. My doc will pull the uterus out after chopping it up into little pieces. He only uses the abdominal approach for cases with cancer or extensive endometriosis, the pain and infection risks are uneccessary.

South -

I was 50 when I had my hysterectomy. I never had children and was able to have it done vaginally with the robotic system. I even had endometrial cancer.

Also whenever you sign the consent for a vaginal hysterectomy there is the possibility that it will be converted to an abdominal hysterectomy since the Dr. doesn't know what they might encounter until they get in there.

My challenges came because I went into pretty rough surgical menopause not from the vaginal hysterectomy.



G.