If the idea of someone attacking your delicate ovaries with a drill fills you with horror, you’re not alone. I’ve nightmare visions of jackhammers chiseling away, sweat and lumps of mortar flying! Women try  some pretty weird stuff in the quest for a baby but why would a doctor suggest such a thing? I’ve no idea who started it but it’s real. Less noisy than roadworks, fewer cracks to view and no wolf whistles – ovarian drilling has it’s own niche market. You get a hunky Ob/Gyn in scrubs, an anaesthetic and a day off work and your ovaries will actually thank you.
A woman with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) doesn’t always get regular menstrual periods. Her ovary walls thicken and harden.She may not ovulate every month. This leads to problems getting pregnant. Hormone treatments, like the contraceptive pill, do regularize periods – but of course they aren’t much use when you’re trying to conceive.
Fertility drugs help women with PCOS ovulate more regularly, boosting monthly conception chances. First choice fertility medicine, and one most which women are familiar with, is Clomid – Â full name is clomiphene citrate. Others include aromatase inhibitors and metformin.
Fertility meds don’t work for everyone, so this is where ‘ovarian drilling’ fits in. Cuter names for it are ‘whiffle ball’ surgery, and the more sombre ‘modified wedge resection.’
What is ovarian drilling and how does it work?
A woman with PCOS has ovaries with an extra-thick outer layer. Her ovaries make more testosterone. Raised testosterone levels cause irregular periods, weight gain, acne and extra body hair.
Ovarian drilling breaks through the thickened outer covering of her ovary, reducing the amount of testosterone produced.
The goal of this procedure is to restore a woman’s menstrual cycle and help her ovulate.
How is ovarian drilling done?
A small operation under general anaesthetic, a laparoscopy, allows a tiny telescope (a laparoscope) through an incision made close the belly button. A tiny camera views the ovaries. The doctor makes very small holes in the ovaries to disrupt testosterone production .
The benefits of ovarian drilling
Up to 50% of women conceive in the first year after the operation although success is never guaranteed. Some women still may not get regular cycles after the surgery. Other fertility problems like blocked tubes or male factor infertility may compound the problems a couple face in conceiving.
- Ovarian drilling is a single treatment unlike fertility medicines taken every month.
- Twin or triplet pregnancy is less likely with ovarian drilling than with IVF.
- Ovarian drilling is not a permanent solution. Ovulation and menstrual cycles often revert to irregular  over time.
- Â Ovarian drilling may improve a woman’s response to fertility medicines.
The risks of ovarian drilling?
Problems from ovarian drilling are rare but can can be serious.
- All surgical procedures carry risks from bleeding, anesthesia and infection.
- Laparoscopy can cause injury to the bowel, bladder, and blood vessels.
- Very rarely, there is a risk of death.
- Damage to the ovary during the ovarian drilling procedure can bring on premature menopause.
- Adhesions, a kind of scar tissue, forming between the ovaries and the fallopian tubes can cause infertility.
Aftercare
It sucks having surgery. General anaesthetics leave you tired and sick unless you’re superwoman or starring in Grey’s Anatomy. Assaulted ovaries swell up quite painfully so use over-the-counter analgesics, and quit being brave.
Any bleeding, abdominal pain, or wound infection, needs a doctor’s attention at once.
It’s always a good idea to rest up after surgery. Get minded, spoilt, fed and be a bit kind to yourself for a change. Keyhole surgery doesn’t leave sympathy-garnering scars outside – so don’t be tempted to minimize what you can’t see.
https://helenatubridy.com/pcos-polycystic-ovarian-syndrome/
