Obstetric and gynecologic surgery refers to procedures that are performed to treat a variety of conditions affecting the female reproductive organs. The main structures of the reproductive system are the vagina, the uterus, the ovaries, and the fallopian tubes.

Obstetrics is the branch of medicine that focuses on women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Gynecology is a broader field, focusing on the general health care of women and treating conditions that affect the female reproductive organs. Medical doctors who choose to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology must undergo at least four years of post-medical school training (called a residency) in the areas of women's general health, pregnancy, labor and delivery, preconceptional and postpartum care, prenatal testing, and genetics.

Obstetrician-gynecologists (also called OB-GYNs) may also subspecialize in the areas of gynecologic oncology (the treatment of cancers that affect the reproductive system), maternal-fetal medicine (the care of high-risk pregnancies), reproductive endocrinology and infertility (the study and treatment of the reproductive glands and hormones and the causes of infertility), and urogynecology (treatment of urinary tract and pelvic disorders).

Surgical procedures
There are a wide range of surgical procedures that have been developed to treat the various conditions that affect the female reproductive organs.

Complications gynecologic surgery
Extensive gynecologic surgery often entails meticulous dissection near the bladder, rectum, ureters, and great vessels of the pelvis. Understandably, the more common complications from this surgery relate to injuries to these viscera and occur during extensive resections for the treatment of cancer or when anatomy is distorted due to infection or endometriosis. Other complications, such as pulmonary embolus, myocardial infarction, pneumonia, or fluid or electrolyte imbalance are common to all surgery.

Management of Complications of Gynecologic Surgery
Regardless of the degree of care and caution exercised, complications can occur. Timely recognition of a complication is essential to proper management. Complications associated with operative laparoscopy appear to be very low when procedures are performed by experienced laparoscopists. The incidence of complications is related directly to the severity of the pelvic and abdominal pathology.

Laser Surgery in Gynecology
To determine whether the symptoms of endometriosis were related to the number and/or location of endometrial implants and the number and/or location of adhesions. Prospective, double-blind study. Seventy consecutive female surgical patients undergoing diagnostic and operative laparoscopy for pain, infertility, or both. Patients completed a self-administered questionnaire one day before laparoscopy. The number, type, and location of endometrial implants and the number, type and location of adhesions were evaluated during laparoscopy. These were compared with the type and severity of endometriosis symptoms as reported by patients.