Contraception before laparoscopy - are the reasons ethical or medical?

[closephine85]

Basically that really. I'm booked to have a laparoscopy on the 16th feb, pretty sure I'll ovulate before that (around 12th/13th) and have been told to use contraception until then. Is the reason because it would be unethical to do a laparoscopy on someone who COULD be pregnant, or is it medical (I.e. Somehow put you at risk of infection or something?). Just struggling with the thought of not being able to try this month, even though I know having the laparoscopy done would likely destroy the egg anyway?!

Is the laparoscopy on your tubes? If so I suspect the reason is at least in part because if there's a fertilised egg lurking about when they delve in there then there may be an increased chance of ectopic. Which could of course be life and fertility threatening.
So you need to decide which is more important to you - having the procedure or trying this month. I would suggest it's the procedure but of course you can defer if you want to.

Quite soon after conception, the uterus becomes softer and easier to damage.

There is also an ethical angle. Say you were and remained pregnant and there was a complication for the pregnancy or the baby. Might you not attribute the problems to a surgical procedure in very early pregnancy?

Thanks northernlurker and mayhew these are all things I hadn't thought of. I was literally thinking of it in a 'if it's fertilized but destroyed I'll never know' or 'if it survives, happy days' hadn't considered ectopic or softer uterus! Contraception it is :) (or most likely a break from DTD altogether seeing as we are 2.5 years ttc it will be a welcome break!)

I'd go with the contraception because there is nothing guaranteed to make you think about having sex more than knowing you 'can't'

Hope you get good results and baby news soon