Laparoscopy for Ovariectomy (Oophorectomy)

What is a laparoscopy?

A laparoscopy is a procedure in which your healthcare provider uses a laparoscope to help treat a problem with organs or tissue inside your abdomen. A laparoscope is a long, thin tube with a light and tiny camera.

When is it used?

This procedure may be done to remove an ovary. There are many reasons why you might need to have an ovary removed. You may have endometriosis, cysts or tumors on the ovary, or adhesions of the ovary. The ovary may be infected or have other problems. The ovaries are the organs that make and store eggs.

Examples of alternatives are:

• having more extensive abdominal surgery
• choosing not to have treatment.

Ask your healthcare provider about these choices.

How do I prepare for a laparoscopy?

Plan for your care and recovery after the operation. Allow for time to rest. Try to find other people to help you with your day-to-day duties.

Follow your healthcare provider's instructions about not smoking before and after the procedure. Smokers heal more slowly after surgery. They are also more likely to have breathing problems during surgery. For this reason, if you are a smoker, you should quit at least 2 weeks before the procedure. It is best to quit 6 to 8 weeks before surgery. Also, your wounds will heal much better if you do not smoke after the surgery.

Follow any other instructions your healthcare provider gives you. If you are to have general anesthesia, eat a light meal, such as soup or salad, the night before the procedure. Do not eat or drink anything after midnight and the morning before the procedure. Do not even drink coffee, tea, or water.

What happens during the procedure?

You are given either a local anesthetic and sedative or a general anesthetic to prevent pain.

Your abdominal cavity is inflated with carbon dioxide gas. This helps your healthcare provider see your organs. Your provider makes a small cut in or just below your bellybutton, puts the laparoscope through this cut, and puts another tool through a second small cut in your lower abdomen to move organs around in order to better see the female organs. Your healthcare provider uses the laparoscope to look at both ovaries and then to guide the cutting tool to the ovary that is being removed. The ovary is removed using a laser, electric current, clips, or scissors. Your provider will also use the scope to look at other abdominal and pelvic organs.

When finished, your provider releases most of the gas through the tube of the laparoscope, removes the scope and any other tools, and sews up the cuts.

What happens after the procedure?

You may stay in the hospital several hours or overnight to recover. The anesthetic can cause a sleepy or groggy feeling for a while. You may also feel pain in your shoulders, feel bloated, or have a change in bowel habits for a few days. You may not be able to urinate right away and may have a catheter (a small tube) placed into your bladder through the urethra (the tube from the bladder to the outside).

You should avoid heavy activity such as lifting. Ask your healthcare provider how much you can lift, what other steps you should take, and when you should come back for a checkup.

What are the benefits of this procedure?

Your ovary is removed without more extensive abdominal surgery. Abdominal surgery would involve a larger incision with more pain, longer hospital stay and recovery time, and greater discomfort and expense. You are also less likely to develop a type of scar tissue called adhesions in the abdomen or pelvis, and other complications related to major surgery.

What are the risks associated with this procedure?

• There are some risks when you have general anesthesia. Discuss these risks with your provider.
• Abdominal organs, glands, intestines, or blood vessels may be damaged. You may need abdominal surgery to repair them at the time of the laparoscopy.
• The lining of the abdominal wall may become inflamed.
• A blood clot may break off, enter the bloodstream, and clog an artery in your lung, pelvis, or legs. Rarely, a clot may break off and clog an artery in the heart or brain, causing a heart attack or stroke.
• You may become unable to get pregnant if both ovaries are damaged.
• You may develop an infection or bleeding.
• You may have some pain after the procedure.

Ask your healthcare provider how these risks apply to you.

When should I call my healthcare provider?

Call your provider right away if:

• You develop a fever over 100°F (37.8°C).
• You have redness, swelling, pain, or drainage from the incisions.
• You become dizzy and faint.
• You have chest pain.
• You have nausea and vomiting.
• You become short of breath.
• You have abdominal pain or swelling that gets worse.

Call during office hours if:

• You have questions about the procedure or its result.
• You want to make another appointment.