WJLA Good Morning Washington with Dr. Paul MacKoul, MD

Spotlight on Hysterectomies: WJLA Good Morning Washington with Dr. Paul MacKoul, MD

Wednesday, May 20, 2015 – May is Hysterectomy Awareness Month. This morning, the Good Morning Washington Team at WJLA in Washington D.C. sat down with Dr. Paul MacKoul, MD to shine a spotlight on hysterectomies, and get a better understanding of why some women may need one, the procedures available, and the kinds of questions each woman needs to ask her surgeon.

“Patients just don’t get all of the information they need and some patients don’t understand the difference between the uterus and the ovaries,” said Dr. MacKoul.

“Many women simply listen to their doctors and agree to procedures that are not the best option. Only half of the women who undergo a hysterectomy actually understand the procedure that is being performed.”

SPOTLIGHT ON HYSTERECTOMIES: DR. MACKOUL AFTER THE INTERVIEW

“For the big three, fibroids, endometriosis and uncontrollable bleeding, often the best procedure to treat those conditions is a hysterectomy,” said MacKoul. “That said, hysterectomy is never the first option, and should always be considered a last resort.”

When a hysterectomy is recommended, women should immediately start asking questions.

“We encourage patients to really explore all of their options when it comes to their own healthcare. The medical industry is changing, and with every doctor claiming he or she is the best, it’s very confusing. My advice is to not accept the possibility of undergoing an open procedure or robotic operation.

“Find out what your doctor’s specialty is:

• How many hysterectomies do they do each week?
• How are the procedures performed?
• Do they concentrate on obstetrics mainly?
• Have they completed fellowship training in laparoscopy?

“As many as 220,000 women each year consent to a hysterectomy without knowing the different types of surgery available, and that’s unfortunate.”

See how the procedures stack up:

• Open procedures: May take up to 8 weeks to recover. Women are left with a massive visible scar across their abdomen.
• Robotic procedure: May take up to 2-4 weeks to recover. Women end up with 5 incisions, in a visible arc across the middle of the torso.
• Standard laparaoscopic procedure: May take 2 weeks to recover. Women have 3-4 incisions in a diamond pattern.
• DualPortGYN procedure: Recovery takes 1 week. Incisions are concealed at the belly button and the bikini line. 

Specialists at The Center for Innovative GYN Care are fellowship trained, board certified experts in laparoscopic surgery.

“For any surgical procedure, patients should always identify a specialist – a surgeon that has focused all his or her care and attention towards surgery. Procedures performed by specialists can greatly eliminate open surgical procedures, and provide better patient outcomes”, said Dr. MacKoul.

“Remember, it is all about you when it comes to surgery. As a patient, you need the best surgical expertise possible.”