Saving Uterus

There has been a paradigm change in the lifestyle of both males and females. People have become more career-oriented and hence they are getting married quite late. With late marriage and work stress, even family planning gets delayed. In the past, most marriages would happen around 25 years of age and by 27 or 28 the couple would have a child. With everything getting delayed fertility also becomes an issue with females due to which they have problems in conceiving.

Problems in pregnancy can be due to fertility as well as other problems like uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts or tubal blockage to name a few. Uterine fibroids are one of the most common problems that make it difficult for females to conceive. In fact, in India, fibroids are the biggest culprit when it comes to infertility in females. As per Dr Amita Shah, Founder of Global Women’s Clinic, Gurgaon, ” Uterine fibroids can be very tricky when it comes to pregnancy. They can change the shape of the cervix, change the shape of the uterus, block the Fallopian tube and can also affect the blood flow to the uterine cavity. Any of these problems can hamper your chances of getting pregnant.”

The problems do not end here itself. Even if a female manages to get pregnant there is a high risk of miscarriage in the first trimester due to fibroid. In most cases, if the fibroid is large and is causing hindrance in getting pregnant then it should be operated upon. Dr Amita Shah is a strong believer that the surgery should be planned with the aim of preserving the uterus for future pregnancies. Dr Amita Shah says,” I always plan my surgery keeping in mind that I have to keep the uterus intact so that the female can conceive again. I prefer doing laparoscopic surgeries for fibroid but in case it appears that the fibroid is very vascular and there are chances of excessive bleeding then I will resort to open surgery. However, if the mass is cancerous then of course I will go for LAVH or laparoscopic hysterectomy because in this case life is more important.”

Dr Amita has also developed a program for another problem called Uterine prolapse. The uterus is supported by ligaments and pelvic floor muscles that keep it in position. However, at times the ligaments and pelvic floor muscles become weak because of which the uterus slips into the vaginal cavity. Traditionally hysterectomy or the removal of the uterus used to be the only line of treatment available for uterine prolapse. However, with advancements in medical science, there are treatments for uterine prolapse that are aimed at saving the uterus and repairing the muscles. Dr Amita Shah at Apollo Cradle, Gurgaon is trained in performing the uterus preserving surgery for uterine prolapse. During the surgery, a mesh is inserted through the vagina to support the uterus. It is very similar to a hernia surgery. Amita Shah says, ” This method of treatment for uterine prolapse is called Pelvic Floor Muscle Repair Surgery for Uterine Prolapse and has huge advantages over traditional hysterectomy. The biggest is that the uterus can be preserved for future pregnancy. At times when the defect is very large then I prefer to go through the abdominal route instead of the vaginal route.”

Medical science is advancing and it is gearing up with the changes happening in the lifestyle of the people. New solutions and new methods of surgeries are being developed. But at the end of the day nature remains natural and if we give a little bit more weightage to our lifestyles and try and make them better then probably we can be healthier and would not need any of these. Saying ” A stitch in time saves nine” holds so good here.