For Women
Various minimally-invasive surgeries may correct reproductive abnormalities and causes of infertility. They include:
- Tubal surgery: Removal of adhesion; repair the fallopian tube opening; removal of fluid or blockage from fallopian tubes.
- Tubal reversal surgery: For women who previously had their tubes tied
- Adhesiolysis: Removal of adhesions/scar tissue.
- Myomectomy: Removal of fibroids (myomas) from the uterus; myomas can sometimes cause infertility or recurrent pregnancy losses and may also cause abnormal bleeding.
- Polypectomy: Removal of endometrial polyps.
- Uterine septum resection: Creation of a single uterine cavity to correct a “double” uterus.
Minimally invasive surgery techniques include:
- Laser Laparascopy: Thin surgical instruments can also be inserted during this procedure to remove cysts, adhesions or endometriosis. Infected or damaged fallopian tubes can be reconstructed and tied tubes can be reversed.
- Hysteroscopy: During a hysteroscopy procedure, a thin viewing instrument called a hysteroscope is moved through the cervix and into the uterus. The surgeon can identify infertility problems caused by abnormalities such as fibroids or polyps. Laparascopy may be performed simultaneously to correct the problem.
- Robotic Surgery: During robotic surgery, surgeons perform delicate procedures with extremely small instruments. Robotic surgery may be used to reverse infertility causes such as endometriosis or uterine fibroids, or to reverse tied tubes.
For Men
Urologist-performed procedures for male infertility include:
- Vasectomy reversal: An out-patient procedure for reversing a previous vasectomy.
- Testicular biopsy: An in-office procedure for removing a sample of testicular tissue for further examination.
- Testicular Sperm Extraction (TESE): Extraction of tissue samples from the testis through a needle biopsy, which may harvest sperm for in-vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection.
- Percutaneous Epididymal Sperm aspiration (PESA): Retrival of a pocket of sperm through a needle.
