Sowter, Martin

Definitions

Colposcopy is a procedure in which a lighted magnifying instrument (a colposcope) is used to help examine the tissues of the vulva, vagina and cervix. Colposcopy is often used to check potentiallycancerous areas, usually after a Pap smear test has indicated a possible problem. During the procedure a biopsy may be performed to take a sample of tissue of an abnormal area. Colposcopy also can be used to detect inflammatory or infectious changes, harmless growths, and injuries to the vulva, vagina and cervix.moreEndometriosis is a common condition in which small pieces of the uterus (womb) lining, known as the endometrium, are found outside the uterus. This could be in the fallopian tubes, ovaries, bladder,bowel, vagina, rectum and other places. Endometriosis may not produce any symptoms, or it may commonly cause painful menstruation, and pain in the lower abdomen, pelvis or lower back. It may also lead to infertility. Those between age 25 and 40 are most affected. It is a long-term condition with no known cure, but symptoms can be managed and fertility improved with pain medication, hormone treatment or surgery, so that the condition does not interfere with daily life.moreGynaecological laparoscopic surgery is a procedure to examine and treat problems with a woman’s reproductive organs and other pelvic organs. Under general anaesthetic, a small viewing instrument(laparoscope) is inserted into the abdomen at the navel. Other instruments may be inserted through other small cuts in the lower abdomen. While watching a video monitor, the surgeon can: look for the cause of any symptoms; remove scar tissue or other abnormal tissue; repair or remove part or all of the ovaries or fallopian tubes; remove an abnormal pelvic mass or ovarian cyst; look for the spread of cancer and perform a biopsy; remove lymph nodes or pelvic organs; evaluate and treat infertility; remove the uterus (hysterectomy); remove uterine fibroids (myomectomy); carry out sterilisation (tubal ligation); treat sudden, severe pelvic pain; treat a tubal pregnancy; and remove uterine tissue found outside the uterus in the abdomen (endometriosis). The average time of surgery depends on the procedure performed.moreGynaecology is concerned with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases and disorders of the female reproductive system, including the uterus, ovaries and vagina, and associated organs andstructures. Gynaecologists treat a wide range of conditions, including cancer and pre-cancerous diseases of the reproductive organs including ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, cervix, vagina and vulva; urinary incontinence; painful, heavy or absent menstrual periods; infertility; prolapse of pelvic organs; and infections of the vagina, cervix and uterus.moreLaparoscopy is a group of operations carried out with the aid of a camera inserted into the abdomen or pelvis. A small incision is made in the abdominal wall through which a laparoscope, a shortflexible lighted tube with a camera attached, is inserted so that structures within the abdomen and pelvis can be examined. The abdominal cavity is made more visible by distending it with an absorbable gas, usually carbon dioxide. Laparoscopy may be done to diagnose a condition (called diagnostic laparoscopy). A number of major and minor surgeries may also be carried out. A variety of tubes and instruments can be inserted through the same incision in the skin, or other small incisions, facilitating a number of procedures without the need for a large surgical incision. This technique is known as laparoscopic-assisted surgery or laparoscopic surgery. Most patients receive general anaesthetic during the procedure.moreFertility is the ability to conceive and become pregnant through normal sexual activity. Infertility may be defined as the failure to conceive after a year of regular intercourse withoutcontraception. Fertility and reproductive medicine is involved with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and disorders affecting reproductive ability, and also in procedures to assist reproduction. Some of the causes of infertility include: fallopian tube blockages (tubal infertility) or other tubal problems; endometriosis, a condition in which pieces of the endometrium, the tissue lining the uterus, is found outside the uterus and can affect the ovaries, uterus and nearby structures; unexplained infertility, where there is no identifiable cause; ovulatory disorders, in which an egg is not released from the ovary normally or regularly; low numbers of sperm in the male or other problems with sperm. Common procedures and treatments include in vitro fertilisation (IVF), in which sperm is placed with an unfertilised egg in a Petri dish to achieve fertilisation. The resulting embryo is then transferred into the uterus to begin a pregnancy or it is cryopreserved (frozen) for future use. To enhance the chances of fertilisation, especially in cases of low sperm count in males, a single sperm may be injected into each egg using a technique known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Donor insemination involves sperm collected from a screened donor being inseminated into a woman close to, or at the time of, ovulation. Intrauterine insemination may involve insemination with the partner’s sperm or the partner’s sperm being placed in the uterus just prior to ovulation. Ovulation induction involves the use of medication to assist ovulation in women who normally do not ovulate.more