Once you are asleep you will be positioned, lying on your back with your legs supported in stirrups.
The abdomen, vagina and cervix are then cleaned with a special solution to prevent infection.
Your body will be covered by a sterile sheet to protect you during the surgery.
A small tube (Foley catheter) will be placed in your bladder to keep it empty for the procedure. This is usually removed at the end of the surgery.
A uterine manipulator may be inserted through the vagina to help move the pelvic organs during the procedure.
A small needle is inserted through the skin to inflate the abdomen with carbon dioxide gas. This allows the surgeon to insert the camera safely.
Additional small skin incisions are made for the thin instruments used to perform the surgery. The location, number, and size of the skin incisions can vary depending on your surgery.
A survey of the abdominal and pelvic organs is performed at the start of the procedure.
The surgery is performed and any specimens that are removed are sent to pathology to be looked at under the microscope. This process takes up to 4-6 weeks.
When the surgery is complete, the surgeon removes all instruments from your abdomen and vagina. The gas in the abdomen is released.
The skin incisions are closed with dissolvable stitches or tapes that can be removed after 1 week.