So I have endometriosis and I’m up for a hysterectomy soon. I was wondering if I could combine my hysterectomy with a tummy tuck and how do I go about finding a surgeon or surgeons to do the procedures. I live in Sc
Dear Jen,
I would positively not recommend doing this. Gynecological surgery for endometriosis largely depends of the precise diagnosis and extent of the disease inside your abdominal cavity. Is not a disease that could be identical in any two patients. Doing this procedure in combination with an abdominoplasty, even in the best hands, could be amenable to different sort of possible complications, that in my humble opinion, won´t be worth risking your health and/or your life. With warmest regards, Jose Luis Valero, MD
Jen1988,
Great Question. Can you do a Hysterectomy and a Tummy Tuck together? Yes, you can. Is it in the best interest of the patient for a favorable outcome? No it is not! The second issue you should address is the economic cost. Your insurance carrier should be contacted to determine if they are going to cover the costs for a medically necessary procedure (i.e. Hysterectomy) being done at the same time as a non-medically necessary surgery (i.e Abdominoplasty). Many insurnace carriers will disallow payment for ALL SERRVICES PROVIDED when both surgical procedures are combined at the same time/ setting. If your insurance carrier does decide to cover costs for your Hysterectomy it is very likely you would still be responsible for costs associated with the TT besides the surgeons fee. Some of these costs include Hospital/ ASC fees, Anesthesia fees, etc. These expenses can be rather large. Make sure to address all these financial issues before proceeding.
Gary R Culbertson, MD, FACS
If the expectation is to perform a simple hysterectomy, then I advise to proceed. However endometriosis may extent beyond the uterus and require more extensive surgery and risk more healing complications. Then abdominoplasty would be ill advised.
It is not uncommon to perform an abdominoplasty in conjunction with a hysterectomy, but endometriosis is a complicating situation. You should discuss your request with your Gynecologist, and if he is comfortable with it, then find a Surgeon in the same area, and discuss with him/her.
Greg Sexton, M.D.
Columbia, S.C.
Thank you for sharing your question. In most cases if your ob/gyn agrees to it, then a tummy tuck can be performed at the same time. It is not uncommon to have these two procedures performed in a single operation and I would even hazard to say that your ob/gyn has someone that they could refer you to. Hope this helps.