Ovarian Cyst to be removed during C-section: will this be under GA or spinal/epidural?

[offsidecrown1224]

I’m having a 5cm dermoid ovarian cyst removed after my c section. Would this likely be under GA or spinal/epidural? Has anyone else had this done as a joint procedure? What happens to baby if you’re under GA?

thanks!

I had this done during my first c section 10 years ago, just had an epidural and it only took a few minutes.

I had this done 3 years ago and it was done using the spinal block 😊

The spinal anaesthetic they use for the c section will last several hours so once baby and placenta are out, they will just carry on and remove the cyst before they close your abdomen.
They won't then give you a GA unless you are having one for your elective section anyway, but this is unusual unless you have a specific medical plan.

In very general terms, it's not uncommon to remove straightforward cysts/do other extra bits just in the duration that a normal spinal lasts (usually gives a good couple of hours of dense numbness). If someone had a complex cyst/procedure then a) they might do something called a combined spinal-epidural if they know it might be complicated from the start as that can increase the duration of the numbness, or b) if it came as a surprise that things were complex they may switch to a GA intraoperatively if it became clear the operation would last longer than the spinal (by which point the baby would usually have been delivered and that makes things a little less complicated). If there are other reasons to do the whole operation under GA then that's what they'll advise (that's relatively unusual in the elective context, but just occasionally planned sections are done with GA). What they think is best for you will depend on the nature of the cyst, your other medical history, the reason for the section, etc. and your anaesthetist will be able to make a sensible plan with you.