A new procedure at the Women’s Hospital of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) can treat women effectively for pelvic organ prolapse.
Sacrohysteropexy, a minimally invasive technique done robotically or through an open surgical procedure, is performed under general anaesthetic to put the womb back into its normal position.
After a 90-minute operation and an overnight stay in Women’s Hospital, a young mother who suffered from a pelvic organ prolapse, was able to return to work, travel again and play with her children after being treated through Sacrohysteropexy.
“After my second pregnancy, I started feeling more and more uncomfortable every day. I had severe back pain and even worse, I couldn’t control my own bowel movements. I didn’t know what was happening and I had nobody to talk to,” said the 27 year-old mother of two.
The condition which typically presents itself in older women, occurs when tissue supporting the pelvic organ including the womb, becomes weak.
Common causes of a pelvic organ prolapse include childbirth, lower levels of estrogen at menopause, being overweight and chronic illnesses such as lung disease, which create pressure inside the abdomen from coughing.
Affecting many women, most have no idea there is a problem until years later, when the muscles weaken with age and are no longer able to hold the organs in place.
“Although up to half of women are thought to suffer to some degree from a pelvic organ prolapse, far fewer seek help.Those that do are typically offered a hysterectomy which requires the removal of the womb,” said Dr Ayman Elnaqa, senior consultant and subspecialist in Urogynaecology and Pelvic Floor Reconstructive Surgery at Women’s Hospital.
“This procedure when done robotically or through a minimally invasive approach offers the patients a much better alternative because it requires a shorter operation and a shorter recovery time,” said Dr Ayman.
“A hysterectomy does not correct the weakness in the support mechanism of the pelvic organs and is associated with other negative side effects.
With this new innovative surgery, the patient’s womb will stay in place and there are associated psychological benefits, especially in premenopausal women,” he added.
Since joining HMC in June 2015, Dr Ayman and his team have performed several of these life changing procedures.
Presently, Sacrohysteropexy is only carried out by a fraction of gynaecological surgeons because of the limited number of clinicians who can perform the surgery.
The Women’s Hospital Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Unit opened in June 2015 and offers advanced diagnostic and treatment options for women who suffer from incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse and perineal trauma during childbirth.
The unit provides the latest uterine preservation surgery (preserving the uterus instead of carrying out a hysterectomy) in cases of uterine prolapse.