Questions to Ask Your Doctor

October 10, 2019 | by Tamer Seckin, MD

Below is a list of some questions you may want to ask your surgeon before undergoing laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis.

Questions about the surgeon

• How many laparoscopies have you performed to diagnose and treat endometriosis?
• How long have you been performing laparoscopic surgery?
• Is it your intention to excise endometriosis at the time of the laparoscopy? If so, what method will you use (excision, ablation, etc.)?
• How successfully do you believe that method will be and why?

Questions about the operation

• If the laparoscopy will be strictly diagnostic and no therapeutic measures will be taken, why?
• Will you perform biopsies and send them to pathology?
• Are other surgical professionals such as a bowel specialist be present to assist you to treat endometriosis in that area?
• Will a bowel resection be necessary?
• Will you search for and recognize endometriosis in all manifestations, and in all regions?

Questions about after the surgery

• Will you provide copies of my surgical reports and any pictures or videotapes?
• What do you expect to accomplish with the laparoscopy in terms of outcome, i.e., restoration of fertility and pain relief?
• What is the general recurrence rate in patients you have treated?
• Will you use adhesion barriers? If so, what kind? If not, why not?