According to the National Institutes of Health, fibroids, endometriosis and other common gynecological conditions represent an important health concern due to the large number of women affected.

Yet, the reality is many women are in the dark about GYN conditions and the latest treatment options. These two infographics detail findings from a recent survey of U.S. women.

A Second Opinion Should Be Mandatory

There are many other gynecological conditions that require surgical treatment, such as endometriosis, ovarian cysts, and pelvic organ prolapse. There are misconceptions related to these conditions and treatments. A second opinion will help a woman get more information about all of her options.

Today, many women undergo more invasive surgical treatments than they may need simply because they don’t know – and don’t ask – what their options are. The consequences can be higher costs, a greater risk of pain and complications and a longer recovery time.

Here are some examples of why women should get a second opinion:

Although new hysterectomy techniques, such as DualPortGYN, can be performed with tiny incisions at the belly button and bikini line, often on an outpatient basis, 60 percent of all hysterectomies are still “open” abdominal procedures. Open hysterectomies are almost always performed in a hospital, require a much larger incision than minimally invasive options, and involve a recovery time of 6-8 weeks. According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, approximately one-third of U.S. hospitals perform all hysterectomies through open surgery.
Despite warnings from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), some surgeons still use a power morcellator – an instrument that does much of the cutting during certain laparoscopic and robotic procedures. FDA does not recommend morcellator-aided GYN surgery because these instruments may spread cells of a hidden uterine cancer during surgery.
In other situations, women undergo robotic surgeries, which take longer to perform and are more expensive take longer to perform and are more expensive than conventional approaches.
Contributing to these situations is one underlying challenge: very few women ask questions of their physician and seek a second opinion from a trained surgical specialist before undergoing surgery.  The problem is widespread. According to a 2010 Gallup Poll, 70 percent of Americans say they don’t need to ask for a second opinion.

Getting a second opinion leads to better care. In fact, several recent studies have found that as many as 60 percent of patients who sought a second opinion received a major change in their diagnosis or treatment. (7) For this reason, GYN experts encourage women to get a second (or third) opinion from a trained surgical specialist when considering GYN surgery and to select the surgeon with care. Here, it is best to opt for a specialist who received comprehensive training in GYN surgical techniques and performs hundreds of these procedures each year.