When symptoms haven't responded to other treatment, Dr Maree Lee, a skilled surgeon, can perform gynaecological operations to treat conditions that affect your comfort and your everyday life.
Sometimes medication, monitoring or other treatments aren’t enough, and surgery is the most effective way to treat symptoms or a condition. In gynaecology, common surgeries include hysteroscopy, laparoscopy or open surgery, depending on the condition and goals of the patient.
Dr Maree will only recommend this treatment path once it’s clear it’s likely to improve your quality of life, and will talk you through what to expect so you understand any risks and you are realistic about outcomes.
Wherever appropriate, surgery is performed using minimally invasive, keyhole techniques rather than open methods.
Gynaecological surgery insights
Over the past three decades, gynaecological surgery has moved steadily away from large open incisions towards minimally invasive, keyhole techniques.
Compared with open techniques, laparoscopic surgery is associated with reduced bleeding, fewer postoperative complications, a shorter hospital stay and a faster return to normal activity, with equivalent surgical outcomes.
For endometriosis surgery, laparoscopy is now the standard. For deep or extensive disease, some evidence suggests excision may relieve pain and prevent recurrence more effectively than ablation, though for milder disease the two appear comparable.
The surgical approach depends on the condition. Hysteroscopy, performed vaginally allows intrauterine conditions such as polyps and fibroids to be assessed and treated without an external incision, while issues outside of the uterine cavity, like those involving the fallopian tubes or ovaries are addressed laparoscopically or open depending on the situation.
The minimally invasive approach is not always optimal. Cervical cancer is a good example: keyhole surgery was long assumed as safe as open surgery, until a major 2018 trial found women who had open surgery for early cervical cancer lived longer. Every surgery should be approached individually and from an evidence-based position.
Visit The Waiting Room to learn more.
In Australia, endometriosis takes an average of 7 years to diagnose from first symptoms.
25% of reproductive-aged women with abnormal bleeding have endometrial polyps.
Laparoscopic excision of endometriosis relieves pain in around 80% of women.
Uterine fibroids affect up to 80% of women by age 50.
Dr Maree starts by listening to your symptoms, your history and how your health has been affecting you. Together, you’ll look at any imaging or results you’ve brought, and weigh up whether surgery is the best step or whether other options are worth trying first.
After further testing, if surgery is the most suitable path, Dr Maree will explain which technique suits your condition and why, whether that’s keyhole, vaginal or, where it’s the better choice, an open technique.
Once a date is set, you’ll get instructions on how to get ready, along with a realistic sense of the recovery ahead, so you can plan around work, family and the time you’ll need.
Dr Maree and the team will look after you from arrival through to recovery. How long you stay depends on the procedure, but many are done as a day visit or with just one night in hospital.
Dr Maree reviews how you’re healing and remains available as you recover, adjusting the plan if anything changes.
Skilled in open and laparoscopic surgery, Dr Maree focuses on the safest, most effective approach for your specific condition.
Gynaecological surgery comes with a lot of questions, and at Dr Maree’s practice, we are all about delivering the answers. Here are some of the most common queries we receive.
Though a referral is recommended for those looking to claim appointments on Medicare, no referral is actually required to book a visit with Dr Maree.
For many conditions now, yes. Laparoscopic surgery achieves the same result as open surgery, usually with less pain.
It varies with the procedure, but most patients are home the same day or the next, and back to normal activity within a couple of weeks, depending on the surgery.
Excision removes the affected tissue entirely, while ablation destroys it in place without removing it. For deeper lesions and damage, excision is sometimes considered more effective for relieving pain long term.
Not always. Surgery is considered only when it is likely to genuinely help, and Dr Maree will talk through non-surgical options with you before recommending a procedure.
With Dr Maree, procedures are always planned to treat the problem while protecting healthy tissue and reproductive potential wherever possible.
The Waiting Room is the perfect place to take a few minutes and read through the latest research, emerging practices, and insights shared by Dr Maree. The more you know, the more effectively you can consider and discuss your options and make informed decisions that are right for you.
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For the often dismissed or misunderstood cyclical shifts that affect your daily life.
Comprehensive care for every gynaecological concern, from routine checks to complex issues.
Whether surgery is something you’re considering or something you’ve been told you need, Dr Maree can help you understand what’s best and safest for you.
