Dr. Dan Gehlbach Employs a Minimally Invasive Technique to Correct a Uterine Septum
One often undetected cause of female infertility and recurrent miscarriage is a uterine septum. This uterine abnormality, present from birth, essentially divides the uterus in half, hindering a woman’s chances for successful implantation of an embryo and carrying a baby to term.
To learn more about what causes a uterine septum, also called Mullerian anomaly, to form and how it affects female infertility, read more here.
If not already present on health history records, Dr. Gehlbach may diagnose a uterine septum through sonography, or a hysteroscopic procedure as part of an extensive fertility workup. During a day surgery procedure, Dr. Gehlbach can diagnose and correct a uterine septum at the same time to eliminate the need for multiple procedures.
Fortunately, fertility surgery can correct a uterine septum in a large majority of cases. If you have a confirmed case, the staff at Midwest Reproductive Center will fully explain the surgical procedure to correct a uterine septum.
Why You Should Consider Uterine Septum Surgery
In the earliest stages of development, two separate uteri fuse together to form a female’s triangular-shaped uterus. With a uterine septum, the Mullerian tissue between them fails to totally reabsorb. The remaining fibrous band of tissue will need to be removed, as would any scar tissue that hinders reproduction.
A board certified reproductive endocrinologist like Dr. Gehlbach has decades of experience performing surgery on the most intricate of the body’s systems—the female reproductive tract. He is extensively trained as a surgeon, and focused on correcting abnormalities while preserving fertility potential.
Uterine abnormalities that do not benefit from gynecological surgery to improve fertility include the following:
- Bicornuate uterus occurs when the uteri fuse at the bottom, and a wall separates the two halves of the uterus.
- Unicornuate uterus means that only one of the two uteri ever form.
- Uterine didelphys Neither uteri fuse together, and so the patient will have two separate uteri, each with its own fallopian tube and cervix.
Hysteroscopic Repair of a Uterine Septum
Minimally invasive surgery to repair a uterine septum occurs under general anesthesia in the Midwest Reproductive Center surgery center.
The surgical technique that Dr. Gehlbach uses to repair a septate uterus, or uterine septum involves a vaginal approach. Our team will address all of your questions and concerns well before your scheduled fertility surgery.
- While you are comfortably sedated, Dr. Gehlbach will gently stretch the cervix and then guide the hysteroscope through the cervix and into the uterus.
- Using a thin, flexible tube with a lighted camera at the end, Dr. Gehlbach visualizes the uterine septum and removes the extra tissue with precision surgical tools.
As you decide whether or not to proceed with a surgical treatment for a uterine septum, consider these benefits:
- There is a high success rate for improving pregnancy chances after uterine septum surgery.
- Hysteroscopic surgery is relatively painless and recovery time is short.
- Successful uterine septum surgery opens the top of the uterus to restore a normal shape and function.
If you have been diagnosed with a uterine septum, or have experienced recurrent miscarriage or female infertility, talk with an expert. Dr. Gehlbach has more than 20 years of experience diagnosing and treating basic and complex causes of infertility. We see patients in our Kansas City fertility center.
