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Surgical NaProTECHNOLOGY Part 3: Targeted Surgeries for Common Reproductive Health Conditions
- Molly Cwiek, FCP
- 15 hours ago
- 5 min read
In my last post, we discussed the different techniques used in Surgical NaProTECHNOLOLGY, and now, we’re going to take a deeper dive into targeted surgeries for conditions commonly seen in women with reproductive health issues.
Surgical NaProTECHNOLOGY focuses on correcting underlying gynecologic conditions that impair fertility in a way that cooperates with the woman’s body and restores her to a state of normal reproductive health. These procedures are performed with microsurgical precision and a commitment to minimizing adhesions, preserving tissue integrity, and restoring natural function.
Some of the most common conditions (and accompanying surgeries) seen and treated by NaPro-trained surgeons are laser excision for endometriosis, wedge resection for polycystic ovaries, adhesion removal (adhesiolysis) for pelvic adhesions, myomectomy for uterine fibroids and abnormalities, and selective hysterosalpingogram (HSG) - often with tubal recanalization or surgical reconstruction of the pelvis (pelvioplasty) - for blocked or damaged fallopian tubes. Let’s take a deep dive into each of these procedures:
1. Laser Excision for Endometriosis:
Condition: Endometriosis occurs when endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus, causing pain, inflammation, and often, infertility. Biomarkers often seen in CrMS charts that often indicate endometriosis include abnormal bleeding, heavy/painful periods, abdominal pain, and infertility.
Technique: Surgeons use near-contact laparoscopy and laser excision to remove endometrial lesions from the ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, pelvic walls, and other areas of the body.
Goal: Eliminate disease and reduce symptoms while preserving healthy tissue, reducing recurrence rates, and offering the best chance at future pregnancy.
Unique Advantage: NaPro surgeons often detect subtle lesions missed by conventional laparoscopy due to their close-up inspection techniques, and they aim to remove disease through laser excision. Laser excision is like uprooting weeds rather than just mowing over them (essentially what conventional endometrial ablation does by solely burning off surface of the diseased tissue); laser excision completely removes disease and provides a much lower rate of recurrence than ablation does.
2. Wedge Resection for Polycystic Ovaries:
Condition: Polycystic ovarian syndrome/disease (PCOS/PCOD) is marked by enlarged ovaries with multiple cysts and hormonal imbalances. Biomarkers often seen in CrMS charts that may point to PCOS include irregular/anovulatory cycles, long cycles, abnormal mucus patterns, abnormal bleeding, abdominal pain (usually on one side but can be bilateral), and infertility.
Technique: A wedge of ovarian tissue is removed using a carbon dioxide laser to reduce androgen production, restore the ovary to a normal size, and induce normal ovulations.
Goal: Normalize hormonal cycles and improve fertility and pregnancy rates.
Unique Advantage: This classic technique, refined by NaPro surgeons, is used selectively when medical management fails. The rate of spontaneous pregnancy in women with PCOS after NaPro ovarian wedge resection has been shown to be about 70%, which is over double the effectiveness rate of conventional methods used to induce pregnancies (clomid has about a 30% effectiveness rate, whereas IVF has about a 23% effectiveness rate)!
3. Adhesiolysis for Pelvic Adhesions:
Condition: Adhesions are bands of scar tissue that can bind pelvic organs together, often following infection, surgery, or endometriosis. Biomarkers most often seen in CrMS charts that may point to pelvic adhesions are abdominal/pelvic pain and infertility.
Technique: Careful resection and removal of any scar tissue (adhesiolysis) adhering the ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, or bowel in combination with adhesion prevention strategies, such as adhesion barrier membranes, hydroflotation solutions, and other microsurgical techniques.
Goal: Free the uterus, tubes, and ovaries to restore mobility to these organs, and therefore, improve normal function, restore fertility, and reduce pain.
Unique Advantage: NaPro protocols aim for “near-adhesion free” outcomes, using meticulous tissue handling and minimal cautery, allowing for free-moving organs with normal function post-surgery.
4. Myomectomy for Uterine Fibroids and Abnormalities:
Condition: Fibroids (leiomyomata) are benign muscle tumors that can distort the uterine cavity and interfere with implantation or pregnancy, often causing miscarriages or infertility.
Technique: Fibroids are removed via laparoscopy or laparotomy, depending on size and location, with careful reconstruction of the uterine wall.
Goal: Preserve the uterus and restore its normal shape and function (specifically for successful implantation and sustained pregnancies).
Unique Advantage: NaPro laparoscopy and/or laparotomy allows for proper repair of the uterine muscle in a way that prevents adhesions/scar tissue (that could otherwise cause further damage to the uterus or ovaries), producing better fertility & pain outcomes. Can also be used for uterine septums (Asherman’s Syndrome and/or bicornuate uterus) as well as uterine isthmocele (a defect in the wall of the uterus caused by improper healing of the uterine muscle after cesarean section).
5. Selective Hysterosalpingogram/Tubal Recanalization/Pelvioplasty for Blocked or Damaged Fallopian Tubes:
Condition: Blocked or damaged fallopian tubes prevent egg and sperm from meeting, and is a common cause of infertility.
Technique: Microsurgical tuboplasty involves either reopening the tubes using a flexible-tip metal guidewire to dislodge and clear debris that may have formed in the fallopian tubes, or using laparoscopic microsurgery to remove scar tissue surrounding the tubes, deconstruct damaged segments of the tubes, or reattach the tube if it was tied (tubal ligation reversal) to restore ciliary function.
Goal: Reopen the tubes (or at least one) to restore normal pressure, patency, and function, and therefore, allow for the normal transfer of eggs and sperm for natural conception to occur.
Unique Advantage: Unlike IVF, which bypasses the tubes, NaPro surgery restores their function to allow for natural conception.
Today, many women and couples are being told that their abnormal cycles, pain, recurrent miscarriages, etc are “normal” and/or that they have “unexplained infertility,” and the only treatment is conventional medicine or IVF. The issue here is that neither of these get to the root cause of the problem, and often dismiss the fact that there may actually be a condition that can be treated to improve (and even restore) fertility and overall health.
NaProTECHNOLOGY, on the other hand, seeks to find the root cause of couples’ reproductive health problems (there is almost ALWAYS a reason for infertility), and treats it in a way that restores the couples’ normal reproductive health. In turn, this allows for conception and pregnancy to occur naturally; it cooperates with our bodies instead of pumping us with artificial hormones that can lead to unhealthy and/or high-risk pregnancies, increased cancer risks, and a slew of other harmful health effects.
Most of the time, couples can go through NaPro evaluation, lab testing, imaging, and even receive corrective surgery for less money than a round of IVF. So next time you hear that you or someone you know has “unexplained infertility” or that IVF is the only option, don’t fall for it! Answers, treatment, and true hope and healing for reproductive health issues can be found through NaProTECHNOLOGY. If you or a loved one think you may benefit from NaPro evaluation and treatment, get started by charting your cycles with one of our practitioners here. May God bless you on your health and fertility journey!
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