OB_GYN_WEST

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Minimally Invasive. Maximally Effective.

The problems are different. The procedures vary. But our goal is always the same: Solving your problems with smaller (or no) incisions. Less discomfort. Fewer restrictions. And a quicker return to your regular day-to-day life.

• da Vinci Robotic Surgery
• Her Option for heavy menstrual bleeding
• Essure permanent birth control
• Uterine Fibroids

da Vinci Robotic Surgery

“Some people do look at you strangely when you mention using a robot for surgery,” admits Dr. Gregg Tiegen. “But after you explain how it works and the advantages you gain,” they’re all for it.

The advantages, enumerated in this eye-opening OBGYN West/da Vinci video are quite remarkable. By using several small incisions—“about the size of your pinkie”, states Dr. Teigen—OBGYN West doctors are able to carefully guide surgical instruments and a magnifying camera into their patient without making the traditional, and large, 3-4 inch incision.  Because of the magnification, explains Dr. Wes Grootwassink, “I can literally sew using suture I can’t see with my naked eye” and “do more delicate work than I could do with my hands” unassisted.

“There are not that many hysterectomies and other procedures we can’t do this way,” explains Dr. Heegaard. The result:  What once required potentially months of recuperation and restriction can “usually be a same day procedure,” says Dr. Christine “Tina” Larson, “where you can be admitted in the morning and go home that same evening.”  

“OBGYN West has really been on the forefront of these procedures in the Twin Cities,” explains Dr. Heegaard.  In fact, “we were asked by da Vinci to be the first group at Fairview Southdale to be trained in this.  There aren’t that many people who do it.”

To learn more, watch the video, visit the da Vinci website or make an appointment with one of our doctors today.

Her Option (for heavy menstrual bleeding)

Excessively heavy menstrual bleeding can be embarrassing, debilitating and life altering.  Fortunately, there’s a minimally invasive option.  It’s called Her Option®. And it’s designed for women whose flow is so excessive and so protracted it keeps them from living their lives.

So what is heavier than normal?  Here are a few symptoms that might indicate that Her Option might be an option for you:

• you bleed through one or more pads or tampons every hour for several hours
• you have to get up in the night to change out your pad or tampon
• your period lasts more than seven days
• your menstrual flow contains several large blood clots
• you’re especially tired or short of breath (symptoms of anemia)
• your heavy periods interfere with your regular lifestyle (i.e., affect your physical activities, your physical intimacy, your career or your self confidence”)
  

As Dr. Wes Grootwassink explains, “If somebody bleeds so much they can’t leave their house in the first two days of their period, that has a huge impact on the quality of their life. And if we can give them back their life, that’s what we do.”

If you or someone you know is suffering from excessive bleeding, please know there are options.  Some of them, like Her Option, can be done safely and effectively, right in our offices, without surgery or hormones. To find out what option may be right for you, please make an appointment . Or to hear other women’s stories, visit the Her Option website.

Essure permanent birth control

When the family is complete and women are looking for a minimally invasive and effective form of sterilization, more of our patients are considering the Essure® method. Unlike a tubal ligation, there is no anesthesia, there is no incision and the recovery time can be measured in hours, not days. In fact, most women return to their normal activities immediately after leaving our offices—even driving themselves home if they wish.

For us, Essure fits perfectly with our desire to provide our patients with more minimally invasive procedures that can shorten their recovery time and get them back to their regular life and work much more quickly.

To learn more about Essure and hear the stories of other women who have chosen Essure, click here.

Uterine Fibroids

If you’re a woman in your 30’s or 40’s, there’s a good chance you have one or more fibroids. In fact, estimates suggest 20-50% of all women in this age group have fibroids, making them a very common, benign growth in the uterus.

For many women, their fibroids are not an issue. They live in harmony with these innocuous masses their entire lives. Then when they reach menopause and their hormone levels decline, the fibroids shrink and become a complete non-issue.

Unfortunately, this is not the case for everyone. Some fibroids continue to grow and their size and number wreak havoc on a woman’s day-to-day lives—not to mention their pants size. Combine this pressure and discomfort with the excessive bleeding that is often associated with fibroids and you have a life-altering situation.

Fortunately, OBGYN West offers many minimally invasive options to the traditional myomectomy (open surgical removal of the fibroids). One of the most successful (and least invasive) involves using da Vanci robotic surgery, which involves much smaller incisions and much shorter recovery times. To see a video on the many benefits of da Vinci, click here.

To learn more about fibroids and our Midwest Fibroid Treatment Center—the branch of our business dedicated to the treatment of fibroids, click here. When you’re ready to talk more, please make an appointment. We look forward to talking to you.