Rendezvous With An Endometriosis Expert, Meet Dr GSS Mohapatra

The journey from a mother’s womb into the world is way too special, than we can summarize in words and only an expert obstetrician makes this painful yet magical journey easier with all his skills and experiences .Years of hands on training with mental and physical strain ,walking through the wards, checking on patients is what makes doctors so special and revered by their patients. One such known name is Dr G.S.S Mohapatra, a Senior Gynaecologist, Obstetrician, Infertility Specialist, Hysterolaparoscopic Gynaec. Onco & Robotic Surgeon. He is also the founder of Odisha Centre for L.I.F.E.

Dr. Mohapatra specialises in Endometriosis. His passion, approach and surgical skills for endometriosis is what sets him apart from the rest. Here is an excerpt from an interview with this gifted medic from Odisha.

Tell us something about your centre Odisha centre for L.I.F.E ?

Ever since I started my career as a gynaecologist and went on to become a Laparoscopic Surgeon and an Infertility Specialist, there was this huge interest in me to make a Centre of Excellence for people dealing with very specific diseases like endometriosis, infertility, fibroids and cases which are dealt exclusively by laparoscopy. I have always had special interest in endometriosis and hence the concept of Odisha centre for L.I.F.E , L stands for Laparoscopy, I for Infertility, F for Fibroids and E for  Endometriosis. Today this facility has become a single window solution for all women in Odisha so that not even a single women has the need to go to some place outside for better treatment. On the contrary we are receiving patients from nearby states and other countries for better treatment and consultation at my L.I.F.E.

Will you tell us something about Endometriosis, one of the most dreaded diseases, in your words ?

In fact 176 million women worldwide are affected by endometriosis and more than 25 million women currently exist in India. Right from queen Victoria to Bollywood celebrities ,it doesn’t spare anyone, ranging from teenage to reproductive age group till the perimenopausal age. The problem with this disease is that, symptoms take around 7-9 years to appear after the disease has entered your body and there are lot of misconceptions even in the medical fraternity regarding the proper diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis. What I find most unfortunate is that many a times young females are just asked to ignore the severe symptoms that they have or else given a course of contraceptive pills or medicines which can just suppress the disease which is  not exactly the right treatment of endometriosis because once you are giving medications and trying to suppress the symptoms it means absence of evidence , and symptoms do not appear in the patient which does not mean the disease itself is absent.

So, my whole plan of treatment in endometriosis is that  the patient should be going for surgery if symptomatic and most importantly the first surgery should be  the best and the most definitive surgery ie., Laparoscopic Excision of Endometriotic Tissue (LAPEX).The principle is to remove as much Endometriotic tissue visible macroscopically to the naked eye. Laparoscopy is advised as it has 40 times more magnification than the conventional open surgeries. The purpose of my treatment in endometriosis is that patient should be relieved from all pain and symptoms with surgery rather than trying all conservative methods which ultimately land up  in surgery.

Kindly tell us about your medical journey?

After passing out my MD in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, I began to feel lot of restlessness because I was not interested in doing Caesarean sections and normal deliveries which is routine obstetric practice. At that time the concept of laparoscopy was coming up and the idea of key-hole surgeries fascinated me and hence my interesting journey of laparoscopy began. Initially in those days it was very difficult as we didn’t have any access or knowledge of YouTube or internet . I had to run from conference to conference, purchase a  lot of expensive instruments which  weren’t comfortable at all at my salary at that time but I was so passionate and obsessed with my work that I was unstoppable. I went to many places in India and abroad like Strasbourg in France, Tubingen in Germany, Verona in Italy to be trained under stalwarts of endometriosis so that I could come back and utilise that knowledge for the benefit of people back in my country. Currently I hold laparoscopic courses of various durations for gynaecologists, throughout India where doctors come to me from across India to get themselves educated, trained under me, practice and go on to become fantastic laparoscopic surgeons at their respective locations in  future.

What is your aim towards improving woman’s health?

In my opinion, I have always maintained that whenever you check the health of a woman, you check the health of the entire society.  So, it becomes mandatory that women’s health is taken care of holistically, not only physically  but, also mentally and socially.
The two most common lifestyle diseases that have come up in recent times in women and grown in huge numbers are PCOS (polycystic ovarian disease) and endometriosis, the incidence numbers  being 1 out of every 10 women in rural areas and 1 out of 5 in urban areas .I just wish, hope and pray that I  can help these women in the best way possible so that the incidence of these diseases comes down drastically and we have a better society in the form of women’s health.

What will be your advice to women with PCOD?

My advice to women with Polycystic Ovarian Disease will be as follows:
•    To focus on weight reduction if they are on the higher side of weight.
•    To focus on lifestyle modification: lots of sleep, early to bed, early to rise, lots of fruits, vegetables and fibers in the diet, exercise for at least 150 minutes a week, less use of gadgets.
•    Lead a very healthy lifestyle so that you should not be undergoing treatment with lots of hormones and contraceptives, rather take the help of these methods like lifestyle modifications, exercise, weight reduction and vitamins that can help you to encounter the dreaded disease called Polycystic ovarian disease.

During painful menses you have seen many adolescents popping in pain killers for relief. What will be your advice to such young women?
If the patient has pain which is constantly there during the whole menstrual cycle which is normally called the dreaded belly syndrome or has features like constipation regularly with complaints of pain in abdomen which increases severely during menses, then we should  be always thinking of Endometriosis. I would request all the family members not to ignore those symptoms, not to neglect and not to pass on comments which are humiliating to the girl saying that her sister never complained so and probably she is making a plea or an excuse not to go to school or college. They should be sympathetic towards them and try to understand that probably, this could be due to endometriosis. Endometriosis is a disease which the moment it enters your body ,it takes around 7 to 9 years for the symptoms to appear. So, if she has those symptoms and  especially , if she is married and she has deep pain during intercourse or she  pain while defecation , severe pain while urination, then she should be ideally consulting an Endometriosis specialist. 

What do you do in your leisure time ?
I am only passionate only about two things :the first is  laparoscopy and other is music. I listen to lot of old music especially the ones composed by R.D Burman and my most favourite singer is Kishore Kumar. I even love to hum those songs and record the songs in my own studio when I get some time .It is a daily practice of mine to watch laparoscopy videos and upgrade my knowledge on a daily basis. I am always in love with my subject. 

Can you take us through some of the awards that you have received in the last few years for your contribution to women’s health?
I have been fortunate enough to be awarded with quite a few of them for my role in gynecological laparoscopy and infertility. Most prominently being THE TIMES HEALTH ICON AWARD from the hands of Governor of Odisha Professor Shri Ganeshilal, our Health Minister Shri Nabakishor Das and Shri Dharmendra Pradhan. I was recently awarded THE ECONOMIC TIMES INSPIRING LEADERS, EAST 2022 at Kolkata by the British Deputy High Commissioner. It has been a wonderful journey in terms of awards but the final award which matters the most is the smiles that come our way from   infertile couples who have been coming to us with lots of hope after running from clinic to clinic that a miracle will take place and finally have been blessed with a baby! Also the smiles of those patients who have undergone laparoscopy by us for rare and almost impossible cases and have recovered, and gone home smiling & thanking me. Whenever  my treatment helps my patients  lead a much better life, their genuine gratitude, blessings and smiles make my day .So awards are one thing, but the smiles and the best wishes of my patients are what I treasure most . I feel humbled and truly blessed by God almighty. I am truly fortunate to be my patient’s doctor always.

Click here To know more about Dr GSS Mohapatra and Odisha centre for L.I.F.E : www.drgssmohapatra.com