5 Tips For Recovering Well After Your Myomectomy (Fibroid Removal)

If you're dealing with uterine fibroids, you’re certainly not alone. These benign growths that form inside your uterus affect up to 80% of women during their reproductive years. The good news is that many women don’t know of their existence.

The bad news is that you’re not one of them. Between 25% and 50% of women run into problems due to fibroids, such as abnormal periods and infertility. When this happens, surgical removal of the fibroids via a myomectomy can be the best path forward.

At North Atlanta OB/GYN, our team of women's health specialists includes skilled experts in surgical services. So, if you’re contemplating a myomectomy or you have one scheduled with us, we want to share a few great practices for making the recovery journey go more smoothly.

The type of myomectomy matters

Each year in the United States, there are about 30,000 myomectomies performed, which can include any of these types:

Hysteroscopic myomectomy

With this procedure, we go in through your vaginal canal with a hysteroscope to remove the fibroid piece by piece.

Laparoscopic (and/or robotic) myomectomy

During this type of myomectomy, we insert a laparoscope (lighted camera) through your belly button. Then we make a few small incisions in your lower abdomen for specialized tools that we use to remove the growths in your uterus.

Open myomectomy

If you have large or numerous fibroids, we may have to resort to open surgery to remove them. 

As you might imagine, the type of myomectomy can make a big difference in your recovery. In general, recovery after minimally invasive procedures like hysteroscopic and laparoscopic myomectomies is much shorter and less risky than with open surgery.

Strategies for navigating recovery after your myomectomy

No matter the type of myomectomy, there’s a lot you can do on your end to ease recovery, such as:

1. Prepare in advance

No matter the type of surgery, it’s always a good idea to prepare in advance by:

• Cooking some meals 
• Taking time off work
• Doing your chores beforehand
• Setting up a recovery station with everything in reach

The goal is to allow space for your body to bounce back after surgery, so do what you can to support that beforehand. In other words, you don’t want to be running around cooking meals or running errands the day after.

2. Get help with driving

When we perform a myomectomy, we can use general anesthesia, sedation, or local anesthesia. If we use general anesthesia or sedation, you need to arrange for a ride home.

For women who undergo a laparoscopic myomectomy, you can assume that you won’t be able to drive for about a week. This number jumps to two weeks if you're having an open procedure.

Women who have a hysteroscopic myomectomy can drive the next day.

3. Keep moving

While we want you to take it easy after your myomectomy — no strenuous exercising during early recovery — you should balance that with some movement. 

Exercising after surgery is a great way to prevent blood clots from forming and to heal. We recommend taking some nice walks over the first few days, and you can increase the distance as you progress through recovery.

4. No sex during recovery

In most cases, we recommend avoiding sexual intercourse for six weeks after your myomectomy. This number may vary depending on the type of myomectomy we perform, and we will provide you with a more updated restriction.

5. Follow aftercare instructions closely

If we were to choose a best practice for recovering from a myomectomy, it would be to follow our aftercare instructions to the letter. These instructions are customized to your procedure, as well as your unique circumstances and needs.

If there’s anything that we don’t cover in these instructions, please know that we are with you every step of the way, before, during, and after your myomectomy, and you only need to ask.

If you have more questions about easing your recovery after your myomectomy, feel free to contact us by phone or online today at one of our offices in Atlanta, Alpharetta, or Marietta, Georgia.