Surgical adhesions occur when tissue in the abdominal cavity adheres, or gets stuck to other tissue - these commonly form following pelvic surgeries: such as hysterectomy, tubal ligation, cesarean section, and cyst removal.

If left untreated, these adhesions can cause infertility, abdominal pain, and bowel obstruction.

Apparently, most women are largely unaware of the health risks associated with adhesions, according to a new survey recently released by the National Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC):

• 69% of the 1,000 women respondents strongly believe women should be informed about surgical adhesions prior to surgery
• 80%who had pelvic surgery were not informed about adhesions prior to their surgery
• Of the women in the survey who suffer from adhesions, 70% say they would have taken special precautions to protect themselves from getting adhesions if they had been aware of possible adhesion-related complications.
• 51% of survey respondents were not aware that preventative measures can be taken to lower your risk of adhesions
• 68%of women that had undergone surgery did not know if their surgeon took specific steps to guard against adhesions

Interesting results, as I had c-section once too, I believe that this is something that a patient should openly discuss with the healthcare provider before a pelvic surgery aside from the general recovery process, immediate surgical results and post surgical pain.

(I remember not being briefed about adhesions as well!)

Anyway, the NWHRC, in its adhesions awareness campaign has developed a one-page "Adhesions Fast Facts" and an in-depth Guide to Preparing for Gynecologic Surgery (includes sections on: All About Adhesions, Preparing for Surgery Checklist, Choosing a Surgeon, After Your Surgery) in order to provide women with the tools they need to understand the health risks of adhesions and how to protect themselves from this life-long internal scarring.

To get a free copy, download online the Guide to Preparing for Gynecologic Surgery, "Adhesions Fast Facts" from the NWHRC's Web site.

Read the full report from NWHRC.