How One Woman Saved Her Fertility While Treating Endometriosis and Fibroids - Interview with Jeanette Benjamin
Women from all corners of the globe suffer from complex GYN conditions, and many of them don’t know where to find the expertise they need. They often settle for more invasive surgical procedures such as open or robotic GYN surgery or unnecessarily suffer for years before finding relief from pain. We spoke with Jeanette Benjamin, a Senior Software Engineer at Collins Aerospace based in Cedar Rapids, IA, on her personal experience with these kinds of health struggles.
EverSoPopular: Thanks for opening up about a topic that many women struggle with. Can you share a bit about your journey?
Jeanette Benjamin: For over 20 years, I struggled and suffered from endometriosis and large fibroids. Unfortunately, over time my fibroids grew large enough that I looked pregnant and had unbearable pain. The solution given to me by every doctor that I've met during those years was to get a hysterectomy. I refused to accept that I would not have my own children and desperately searched the internet to find Dr. MacKoul.
ESP: What were the next steps you took?
Jeanette Benjamin: Once I connected with Dr. MacKoul at The Center for Innovative GYN Care® (CIGC®), things got rolling. I had an ultrasound done locally and sent over to Dr. MacKoul for analysis and followed up with a telephone interview. Next, I had the myomectomy done in January 2017. In total, 33 fibroids were removed; the largest size was 13 cm X 12 cm.
ESP: How did this impact your fertility?
Jeanette Benjamin: After I was denied full IVF treatment at one of our local university hospitals, I desperately reached out to Dr. MacKoul yet again for help. He pointed me to Dr. Udoff at GIVF, and I did one round of IVF, and today I have a healthy and active toddler.
ESP: What is your advice for a woman that is suffering from similar health issues?
Jeanette Benjamin: Do not give up do not give up. Certainly, get another opinion. You know, if one door closes, continue knocking. Something will open up. I don’t like to take no for an answer, especially when there is not a logical reason. You can google CIGC and they can help you. I am a mother to an awesome toddler after having Laparoscopic Myomectomy by Dr. MacKoul at CIGC and later on IVF by Dr. Udoff at GIVF.
About The Center for Innovative GYN Care® (CIGC®)
CIGC is a state-of-the-art laparoscopic GYN surgical practice that uses exclusive techniques developed by the founders, Dr. Paul MacKoul and Dr. Natalya Danilyants, to treat complex GYN conditions. Patients travel from across the country and around the world for the groundbreaking DualPortGYN® and LAAM-BUAO® procedures.
These advanced surgical techniques treat complex gynecologic conditions such as fibroids and endometriosis, using just two small incisions, and women recover in less than 2 weeks. The practice is dedicated to providing women with superior outpatient surgical care that optimizes outcomes, minimizes the risk of complications and ensures a faster recovery at home.
Unmet Medical Need
Choosing the right surgical specialist to correctly diagnose and treat a complex GYN condition is essential. CIGC® laparoscopic specialists treat women nationally and internationally using state-of-the-art surgical techniques. Unlike OBGYN physicians, who concentrate mostly on Obstetrics, CIGC surgeons are focused on the development and performance of GYN surgery only. Access to this kind of care, including advanced minimally invasive procedures that treat fibroids, endometriosis, adenomyosis and other GYN conditions, can help women take back control of their lives sooner, with less pain.
Endometriosis is an especially difficult condition to treat, and is often not identified early in a women’s reproductive years. A delay in diagnosis of endometriosis can lead to progression of the disease, severe and chronic pain, and infertility. CIGC specializes in the diagnosis and management of endometriosis, with proven results to resect all disease to help manage pain and enhance fertility. Women with this condition need to see a specialist for the surgical management of endometriosis to ensure the disease is treated properly for long term success.
Thirty-four thousand myomectomies are performed on women in the U.S. each year, with most of these performed as open. Women need to know that advanced surgical options, with superior surgical outcomes, are available. Robotic or laparoscopic approaches to myomectomy are not optimal, with many patients having not all the fibroids removed, especially fibroids deep in the uterus that can cause persistent bleeding, pain, and infertility. These procedures also have a high conversion rate to open myomectomy, resulting in an 8 week recovery time. CIGC’s exclusive LAAM technique allows removal of all fibroids using very small incisions, allowing women to recover faster with less complications and pain. LAAM procedures are also safer with outcomes that rival open myomectomy, with a recovery that is 2 weeks or less.