Receive top-notch treatment for pelvic adhesions, and restore hope for a healthy pregnancy
Patients who are trying to conceive without success often seek the help of David T. Vandermolen MD, MS, our Northern Louisiana fertility center specialist. With more than 30 years of experience, Dr. Vandermolen has the clinical expertise to identify and treat female infertility, including removal of pelvic adhesions.
Although receiving a diagnosis of adhesions can feel disheartening, Dr. Vandermolen can treat this condition and improve your odds of pregnancy.
What are pelvic adhesions?
An adhesion is a thick band of scar tissue that forms between two organs that weren’t connected before. Often, surgery, infection or injury causes the adhesions to develop. The scar tissue can attach to the ovaries, uterus, fallopian tubes, bladder or bowel. Depending on the location, adhesions can disrupt normal anatomical function and contribute to female infertility issues.
What causes this scar tissue to form?
If an organ is damaged, your immune system triggers an inflammatory response to heal the tissue, which results in scar tissue. As the body attempts to repair itself, adhesions may occur.
The problem with pelvic adhesions is that they don’t simply peel away and fade like a skinned elbow. Because the abdominal organs have slick surfaces, the damaged areas can end up sticking together. Pelvic infections, endometriosis and prior abdominal surgeries are common causes of pelvic adhesions.
Are there any routine symptoms?
Sometimes, patients experience pelvic pain, difficulty with urination, nausea or constipation from their adhesions. In other cases, the only sign is not being able to get pregnant. If the scar tissue changes your reproductive anatomy, it may prevent the egg and sperm from meeting, which means fertilization cannot occur.
Dr. Vandermolen will review your full medical history as part of your initial fertility appointment to look for any factors to indicate pelvic adhesions.
Can you treat the adhesions?
Typically, Dr. Vandermolen recommends surgery as the optimal treatment for pelvic adhesions. Through laparoscopy, our Northern Louisiana fertility center specialist uses a minimally invasive surgery technique to insert a small camera into your abdomen, where he can view the scar tissue and then remove the damaged areas.
While surgery is often successful, Dr. Vandermolen does have cases in which the adhesions may reappear. In these situations, he often suggests fertility treatment, such as IVF.
At ArkLaTex Fertility, our goal is to provide comprehensive medical care, so that our patients can welcome babies into their families. We offer advanced treatment for female infertility, including removal of adhesions. Contact our office to schedule an appointment with our Northern Louisiana fertility center specialist.