The duration of time after surgery when you should not drive depends on the nature of the surgery you undergo. For example, the recovery following endometriosis surgery or ovarian cyst surgery will generally be faster than after a hysterectomy. Women having keyhole (laparoscopic or robotic) or vaginal surgery will generally have a faster recovery compared to women undergoing open surgery (laparotomy).
In general, after any general anaesthetic, you should not drive or operate any machinery for at least 24 hours. Under no circumstances should patients drive themselves home following day surgery.
Patients undergoing keyhole (laparoscopic) surgery will be able to return to driving earlier than patients undergoing open surgery (laparotomy). In general, most gynaecology patients may return to driving when they are freely mobile without requiring pain-relief medications, and can safely depress the foot pedal of the car’s brakes without causing any pain. This depends on the nature of the surgery as well as an individual’s recovery process. For keyhole surgery, this may usually be about 2 weeks, and for open surgery, it may be up to 4-6 weeks. In any case, it is always essential to check with your individual car insurance policy to clarify the specific restrictions of your insurance policy.
For more specific instructions following your gynaecological surgery, please discuss this with Dr Ken Law.
