When given the choice between a minimally invasive gynecological surgery and traditional surgery that includes a longer recovery time, most women wouldn’t think twice before opting for the former.

For hysterectomy and fibroid removal, women have had options for both the laparoscopic surgery using power morcellation as well as a traditional surgery.

Sometimes women are asked which type of surgery they would prefer, while other times doctors have made the decisions for the patient.

In a minimally invasive surgery, several small incisions are made in the woman’s body and a device called a power morcellator is used.

After the incisions are made, the power morcellator is inserted and its rotating blade grinds up tissue into very small pieces. The tissue is then removed from the small openings in the body, leaving minimal scarring.

The recovery time for a hysterectomy or fibroid removal using power morcellation is typically only a couple of weeks. Women don’t have to worry about the extra time needed to recover as opposed to women who opt for the traditional route.

In a traditional surgery, a longer incision is made and the organs or fibroids are removed as a whole through the incision site. The incision takes considerably longer to heal, and women are advised not to lift heavy objects, such as children, until their scars have more fully healed.

Given the summary of both types of surgery, it appears that there really isn’t much of a reason not to choose the laparoscopic surgery assisted by power morcellation.

And for many women, they did not know much more than the information presented above when they were making the decision as to which type of surgery they would prefer.  No one mentioned the risks of power morcellation side effects.

As can be anticipated with any procedure, there are power morcellation side effects. The most common include pain at the incision site, local bleeding, bruising and general soreness.

There is a much more serious risk with surgeries assisted by power morcellation, however.

Uterine cancer is a very real concern that may result from power morcellation use in gynecological procedures.

Uterine cancer, like leiomyosarcoma, may be present in a latent fashion in approximately one out of every 350 women who undergo power morcellation surgery.

Left undisturbed, these latent cancer cells are likely to slowly progress, and when finally detected, are fairly easily to remove and treat.

However, when these cancer cells are disturbed by power morcellation, the cells may be spread throughout the entire uterine cavity. These cells, after they have essentially been sprayed around the woman’s uterus, can begin to replicate more rapidly, upstaging the cancer that was previously latent.

When women are diagnosed with uterine cancer following surgery performed by power morcellation, typically their cancer has progressed to an advanced stage and has a much lower probability of successful treatment.

As the FDA became aware of these problems caused by power morcellation, it issued a “black box warning” on the labels of power morcellator devices. This warning stated the one in 350 chance of women having undiagnosed cancer and the risk that power morcellation would have on such women.

After the FDA’s warning in 2014, the largest manufacturer of power morcellators pulled the device off the market. Many physicians and hospitals stopped using power morcellators because of the increased risk associated with power morcellatio procedures.

Additionally, many insurance companies stopped covering surgeries performed by power morcellation due to the increased chance of additional health risks in patients.

Currently, fewer and fewer women are undergoing surgery with power morcellation. Of those women who were diagnosed with uterine cancer following their power morcellation surgery, many have gone on to file lawsuits against the manufacturer alleging that the manufacturer failed to warn of the increased risks of uterine cancer.

If you or a loved one developed uterine cancer following surgery using power morcellation, you may be eligible for legal compensation. A power morcellator attorney can review your case for free and can help you understand the legal options that are available to you.