Smitha Vilasagar, MD, FACOG

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Smitha Vilasagar, MD, FACOG

Advocating for women with endometriosis, fibroids, and pelvic pain. I am a fellowship trained minim

24/06/2021

This is your daily reminder to love your body.

No matter what you're going through, always remember:

🥰 You are strong.
🥰 You are beautiful
🥰 You are resilient.

Don't forget to thank your body for all it does for you 💕

17/06/2021

🤍 I put heart bandages on all of my patients. 🤍

Endometriosis is such a complicated disease, especially since it's so misunderstood and often mismanaged, leading to years of suffering.

Excision of endometriosis surgery is often the first step to finally getting answers and feeling relief of pain.

I understand that surgery can be scary, so I want my patients to leave the OR with these little reminders to love their bodies and know just how strong they are as they heal.

xoxo Dr. V 💋

10/06/2021

People often ask me how I came to specialize in this field, particularly treating patients with chronic pelvic pain and endometriosis.

Truth is, I kind of fell into this field! 🤷‍♀‍ I didn't even know it existed when I decided to go into Ob/Gyn.

Of course, I've always been captivated by the surgical aspect - I love a good challenge 💪🏽

But I noticed early on in my residency that others were not focusing on this particular patient group, while I found myself drawn to treating them.

When I realized that I could offer these women hope and tangible relief, I knew that this is what I wanted to be doing for the rest of my life. And it's incredibly fulfilling work 😍

xoxo Dr. V 💋

08/06/2021

What exactly is endometriosis? 🤔

It's a disease where tissue that resembles the lining of the uterus is present outside of the uterus. It causes a chronic inflammatory reaction that creates scar tissue and fibrosis within the pelvis, as well as other parts of the body.

👆🏽image from one of my patients with extensive darkened endometriotic disease throughout the pelvis and significant scarring around the uterus, with loops of intestine scarred to the back of the uterus.

This inflammation and scarring leads to pain and infertility. It's a complex disease and affects so many women around the world - starting with their first period all the way through menopause if not treated properly.

There are some common symptoms to be aware of, such as:
❗ Painful periods that affect your ability to do the things you want to do
❗ Chronic pelvic/vaginal/rectal/abdominal/hips/back pain
❗ Fatigue
❗ Abdominal bloating
❗ Infertility
❗ Nausea
❗ Pain during or after s*x
❗ Painful bowel movements and urination

It's important to recognize the symptoms, which is the first step towards finding a solution ❤

03/06/2021

The amount of education available to women about endometriosis is so limited - even in 2021! 🤯

Endometriosis research is still severely underfunded in comparison to other diseases 👎🏽

Endofound has always been a huge advocate for endometriosis education on both the state and national levels.

This weekend they're hosting their annual "End Endo" 5k 🏃🏽‍♀️, whose proceeds all go towards endometriosis education materials, research, and public policy advocacy ⚖

Together, we can start to change the way we approach this disease as a community 🤍

Visit their website to find out how to get involved - and tag me in your stories as you get out there and run for this important cause this weekend!!

01/06/2021

Hi beautiful people! ✨ There are a lot of new faces around here, so allow me to introduce myself.

Most people call me Dr. V. I'm a minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon at Atrium Health in Charlotte, NC. 🏥

I love what I do for so many reasons.
💖 I help women finally feel heard and find solutions to address their pain.
💖 I feel privileged to help women make decisions to regain their quality of life.
💖 I educate women about their options to address endometriosis, chronic pelvic pain, and infertility, among other conditions.

I feel so lucky to be doing this work. There's nothing more gratifying than seeing women regain control of their lives after dealing with issues like endometriosis and pelvic pain.

👉🏽 This is your sign: there's always an answer to whatever it is you're experiencing. You're not alone 💕

xoxo Dr. V 💋

03/03/2021

“Regardless when you received your diagnosis or where you are in your treatment, advocating for yourself is an essential part of maximizing your physical and mental wellbeing when you’re dealing with endometriosis.”

Loved being interviewed by for this super informative article published by about being your own best advocate when seeking care.

Lauren is an endo warrior herself and is helping others understand how to navigate this condition by writing about these important topics!

Click the link in my bio to check it out 💛

02/03/2021

💛March is HERE!!
💛Endometriosis Awareness month

Everyday I'm energized by this humbling and insanely rewarding work - LOVE what I do.

But everyday I also leave work deeply moved by your daily accounts of pain, mistreatment, lack of treatment, disparities in care, isolation, and desperation.

This incredible woman's photo 👆🏽 - by age 32, she'd had 4 surgeries for endo performed through these incisions. She has not had children, and was left with only her uterus and one o***y. She was told then that hysterectomy is the only next option. These scars are daily reminders of her past, but also of her beauty, strength, and resilience. So honored that she is trusting me with her care moving forward. Unfortunately, she has continued to have severe pain, likely because her endometriosis was not completely excised by these 4 surgeries. I cried with her as I heard her story and her hopes. Together, we made a plan which offered her reassurance and optimism, that she had not felt in years.

I hear these stories every day. It's frustrating. It saddens and angers me. It's impossible to not be affected by them. This month inspires us all to educate in hopes of creating change to intervene so these stories become less frequent.

If you're one of my patients you know that I wrap up every post op visit asking you to share your story, to talk about your symptoms and experiences. So that women just learning about endo or wondering if they have it won’t feel so alone.

I ask you to share what you wish you’d known when you searched for more info, when you felt misunderstood and let down.

That's what this month is about. We're gonna change the world - together.

I've also asked so many of you what else I can do outside of work. So here I am... posting this late after a long OR day. I want to use this platform to make that change, to show how the right type of care is different and impactful for you in all the ways that it is.

Lots to come, my friends.

xoxo 💋 Dr. V

01/03/2021

I performed laparoscopic excision of endometriosis on an amazing woman recently.

💛 Like many of my patients... she struggled with pain and infertility for the last decade - the emotional roller coaster of unsuccessful IVF cycles, then adoption of their baby boy, and fostering many super children (like I said - she's pretty amazing!)

💛 Like many of my patients... she almost talked herself out of surgery. She was so worried about the possibility that I wouldn't find any endometriosis and her symptoms were all in her head. She doubted herself after being told for so long that her symptoms are "normal." She was tearful in pre op - I'm grateful she felt comfortable expressing these fears to me.

💛 Like many of my patients... she knew her body and that something was wrong. She had deep infiltrating endometriosis, and after full excision, she feels incredible and is pain-free. She plans to try to conceive naturally now after surgery and.... she is hopeful 💗

💛 The outdated studies we have show us that endometriosis affects up to 50-60% of women with pelvic pain and up to 50% with infertility. I would argue these numbers are likely even higher, given the super high volume of women I see and treat with this disease; more updated studies need to be done to accurately reflect these numbers, with proper diagnosis by biopsy during surgery.

💛 As women, we know our bodies. Pain is a sign that something is going on, something may not be right. So listen to your body and trust yourself. Advocate for yourself. Educate yourself. Find the right doctor and the best care for you.

Night night loves, heading to bed to be bright eyed and bushy tailed for the OR tomorrow morning 🤩💋

24/02/2021

Hi beautiful people!

It's been a minute since I've posted... so what have I been up to, you may ask?? 🤔

Let's start with 79 surgeries since the start of 2021...

Being immersed in the OR is awesome and exhausting and incredibly gratifying. But this crazy number of surgeries shows how many women are still searching for answers and relief from this toxic disease... so I'm back on IG to highlight the importance of this education and empower women to find answers!

I've missed you all. Please be patient with me, I'll do my absolute best to keep up with your DMs and comments!

xoxo💋 Dr. V

Address

6700 Fairview Road, Suite 320
Charlotte
28210

Website

http://www.drvilasagar.com/

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