Doctors typically perform two main types of surgery to treat endometriosis: abdominal laparoscopy (keyhole surgery) and laparotomy, which is a major abdominal surgery. You’ll recover faster after laparoscopic surgery than after a laparotomy. Regardless of the type of procedure you’ve had, your activities will be limited for the first couple of days or weeks after your procedure.

We recommend having our VieWear Period Comfort Underwear and Uterine Reusable Ice/Heat Packs on hand. This hip-hugging underwear features a seamless interior pocket to hold soothing ice therapy directly and securely over the lower abdomen— all day or night. Its full-coverage, organic cotton lining provides additional comfort following your procedure. Our packs are the first to be uniquely contoured to fit over women’s lower abdomen and uterus for immediate, localized pain relief.

Listen to our interview ‘Understanding Endometriosis’ with EndoBlack founder, Lauran Kornegay, where we discuss pain management techniques, how we can support friends and family members who are suffering, the realities of racism and isolation in the endometriosis community– and what we can do to be better allies.

There are different types of hysterectomy. A partial hysterectomy removes just the uterus, and the cervix is left intact. A total hysterectomy removes the uterus and cervix. The operation you have will depend on the reason for surgery and how much of your womb and reproductive system can safely be left in place. There are three ways a hysterectomy may be performed: vaginal hysterectomy, laparoscopic hysterectomy or abdominal hysterectomy. As with any surgery, recovery may take days or weeks.

Vaginal, abdominal, or laparoscopic hysterectomy:

During a vaginal hysterectomy, the womb and cervix are removed through an incision that's made in the top of the vagina. With abdominal or laparoscopic hysterectomy, a vertical or horizontal incision is typically made below the belly button and above the pubic bone. During recovery, you will need pain relief around the vaginal opening, vulva, and perineum (the area between your vagina and anus). Here we recommend using our FourthWear Postpartum Recovery Underwear. In addition to holding heat against the abdomen, FourthWear's unique 360° pocket allows ice/heat therapy to be positioned between the legs for vaginal recovery and perineal swelling. Pair with our Between Legs Reusable Ice/Heat Pack– a premium reusable ice/heat pack uniquely contoured to fit between the legs to soothe the vulval and perineal region when you are dealing with swelling, sutures, or tenderness. You may also wish to try our Uterine Reusable Ice/Heat Pack to ease pain in the abdominal area and have our hardworking organic cotton pads on hand to handle heavy bleeding.

Read ‘Why I Decided to Have a Hysterectomy Before Age 30’ on the Loudspeaker. 

Two common surgical options for pelvic organ prolapse are laparoscopic surgery and pelvic reconstructive surgery (colporrhaphy). Laparoscopic surgery involves making a small incision or incisions in the lower abdomen to correct the prolapse. This type of procedure is commonly performed on women with prolapsed uteruses. Pelvic reconstructive surgery, on the other hand, involves repairing the prolapse through the vagina.

Laparoscopic surgery:

We recommend having our VieWear Period Comfort Underwear and Uterine Reusable Ice/Heat Packs on hand. This hip-hugging underwear features a seamless interior pocket to hold soothing ice therapy directly and securely over the lower abdomen— all day or night. Its full-coverage, organic cotton lining provides additional comfort following your procedure. Our packs are the first to be uniquely contoured to fit over women’s lower abdomen and uterus for immediate, localized pain relief.

Pelvic reconstructive surgery:

During a colporrhaphy procedure, an incision is made in the back wall of the vagina. The vaginal skin is separated from the rectal wall underneath. The strong tissue next to edges are sutured to each other recreating the strong “wall” between the rectum and the vagina. The vaginal incision is then closed with dissolving stitches. During recovery, you will need pain relief around the vaginal opening, vulva, and perineum (the area between your vagina and anus). Here we recommend using our FourthWear Postpartum Recovery Underwear. In addition to holding heat against the abdomen, FourthWear's unique 360° pocket allows ice/heat therapy to be positioned between the legs for vaginal recovery and perineal swelling. Pair with our Between Legs Reusable Ice/Heat Pack– a premium reusable ice/heat pack uniquely contoured to fit qbetween the legs to soothe the vulval and perineal region when you are dealing with swelling, sutures, or tenderness.

Our VieVision Between Legs Mirror may also help you manage your healing by enabling you to comfortably have a clear view of your vulva and vagina, so you can easily track your recovery and inform your medical health provider if anything seems unusual.

Watch our ‘Viva La Vulva’ Knowledge Series, where we speak to Pelvic Floor Therapist Dr. Kim Vopni about the impact of pregnancy and childbirth on the pelvic floor.

As of 2018, 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will have had a diagnosis of invasive breast cancer in their lifetime. Lumpectomy and mastectomy procedures are both performed to remove breast cancer. A lumpectomy removes localized cancer and preserves the breast, while a mastectomy removes the entire breast. 

Top surgery is a reconstructive surgery performed on the chest for those who wish to alter their chest size, shape, and overall appearance.

We designed our FourthWear Postpartum Bralette to hold ice or heat packs over the entire breast and chest. Whether you are recovering from a mastectomy, lumpectomy, or top surgery, temperature therapy can help in your recovery journey. Cleverly designed with two interior chest pockets to securely hold our Breast & Chest Resuable Ice/Heat Packs, our FourthWear Bralette helps relieve the pain and discomfort and is made from buttery soft, stretchy material that gently hugs your back, breasts and sides. 

Gender affirmation surgery refers to procedures that help people transition to their self-identified gender. Feminization surgeries are surgeries that result in anatomy that is typically gendered female. ‘Bottom surgery’ may include vaginoplasty. Masculinization surgeries are surgeries that result in anatomy that is typically gendered male. ‘Bottom surgeries’ can include metoidioplasty, phalloplasty, scrotoplasty, and hysterectomy.

If you are recovering from a gender affirmation surgery, we recommend using our FourthWear Postpartum Recovery Underwear. In addition to holding heat against the abdomen, FourthWear's unique 360° pocket allows ice/heat therapy to be positioned between the legs for recovery and perineal swelling. Pair with our Between Legs Reusable Ice/Heat Pack– a premium reusable ice/heat pack uniquely contoured to fit between the legs to soothe and comfort when you are dealing with swelling, sutures, or tenderness.

OurVieVision Between Legs Mirrormay also help you manage your healing by enabling you to comfortably have a clear view, you guessed it– between your legs– so you can easily track your recovery and inform your medical health provider if anything seems unusual.

There are different operations to treat cancer of the vulva, depending on the size and position of the cancer. If the cancer is very small, it may be possible to remove only a small area of the vulva. If the cancer is larger, you may need a bigger operation. Types of vulval cancer surgery include wide local excision, partial vulvectomy, vulvectomy and stoma.

Whichever type of surgery you may have, we advise packing a couple of pairs of FourthWear Postpartum Recovery Underwear. In addition to holding heat against the abdomen, FourthWear's unique 360° pocket allows ice/heat therapy to be positioned between the legs for vaginal recovery and swelling around the vulva and perineum. Pair with our Between Legs Reusable Ice/Heat Pack– a premium reusable ice/heat pack uniquely contoured to fit between the legs to soothe the vulval and perineal region when you are dealing with swelling, sutures, or tenderness.

While not surgery, we know firsthand how fertility treatments can overstimlaute your ovaries, how trigger shots can leave you with a sore abdomen, and how medications can cause intense bloating and discomfort.

If you are undergoing fertility treatment, you may wish to consider having a couple of pairs of our FourthWear Postpartum Recovery Underwear on hand. FourthWear's unique 360° pocket allows ice/heat therapy to be positioned anywhere on the abdomen. Pair with our Uterine Reusable Ice/Heat Packs–  the first to be uniquely contoured to fit over women’s lower abdomen and uterus for immediate, localized pain relief. You may also find our Uterine On-the-Go Heat Presses helpful to ease the discomfort from everyday cramps and bloating, as well as relief from the effects of medications and/or 'trigger' shots.

We understand that it may be emotionally difficult to purchase postpartum underwear when you are trying for a baby. We welcome requests to remove FourthWear’s information tag when we pack your order, if it helps make things a little easier for you. Simply add your request to the notes area when checking out.

We understand that these scenarios can emotionally differ depending on a person’s individual circumstances. We include them together here because both typically require having a procedure known as a D&C, dilation and curettage (Yes— we know how awful that sounds! Yet another example of the lexicon surrounding women’s health needing a complete overhaul). A D&C is the most commonly used method for first-trimester miscarriage or abortion. During the procedure, the cervical canal and uterine lining are scraped with a spoon-shaped instrument to remove abnormal tissues.

When recovering from a D&C, you may bleed for a few days afterwards and be sore. We recommend pairing our FourthWear Postpartum Recovery Underwear with a Between Legs Reusable Ice/Heat Pack for comfort. Our Between Legs Pack is a premium reusable ice/heat pack uniquely contoured to fit between the legs to soothe the vulval region if it’s feeling tender. Also, have our hardworking organic cotton pads on hand to handle heavy bleeding.

We understand that it may be emotionally difficult to purchase postpartum underwear when you have had an abortion or if are trying for a baby and sadly miscarried. We welcome requests to remove FourthWear’s information tag when we pack your order if it helps make things a little easier for you. Simply add your request to the notes area when checking out.