Endometriosis Excision Surgeon

Dr. Deirdre Lum

Palo Alto, California

At a Glance

Strengths

  • Accepts insurance
  • Fellowship-trained under Dr. Ted Lee at UPMC, one of the most credentialed endometriosis and minimally invasive gynecologic surgeons in the country
  • Endometriosis is listed first among the specialties on the Stanford Health Care profile

Worth Knowing

  • Nancy's Nook notes Dr. Lum will only operate once; may recommend hormones for recurrent pain
  • A 2025 patient account reports deep infiltrating endometriosis on organs was not addressed and no multidisciplinary surgical team was brought in
  • A 2019 note from Nancy Petersen flagged that Dr. Lum reportedly does not believe endometriosis is present if it does not show on imaging
  • Bedside manner complaints appear independently across multiple platforms
  • Scheduling is difficult; wait times for new patients are reported as lengthy

From the Editor

Dr. Lum's training under Dr. Ted Lee at UPMC is meaningful context. That fellowship had a specific focus on endometriosis and minimally invasive gynecologic surgery, not general OB/GYN. This surgeon was harder to find endometriosis information about than many of the others on this list, with the exception of reviews (there are a lot of reviews).

The patient feedback is mixed, and this profile warrants careful reading before making a decision. Positive accounts describe a thorough, collaborative surgeon who gives patients real agency over their care. The concerns are also substantive, appearing independently across multiple platforms, and touch on surgical limits, imaging reliance, and bedside manner. Read the full feedback section.

The fit question comes down to disease complexity. For patients with stage 1-2 endo, fertility concerns, or adenomyosis, this may be a good option for you. For patients with confirmed deep infiltrating endometriosis or multi-organ involvement, the concerns in this profile become more important.

Patient Feedback

Patterns Across Patient Feedback


Positive pattern

Mixed or notable

Recurring concern

A consistent pattern of thoroughness, kindness, and patient-centered decision-making runs across independent accounts on Nancy's Nook and Reddit spanning multiple years. Accounts describe a surgeon who listens, explains options fully, and allows patients to guide their own treatment path rather than dictating a single course of action.

Multiple accounts on Nancy's Nook and Reddit describe strong surgical outcomes, including for fertility. Accounts from 2020 through 2026 describe meaningful symptom relief and patients continuing care with Dr. Lum years after surgery.

Scheduling difficulty and long wait times are a consistent theme across multiple platforms and years. Multiple Reddit accounts describe waiting months for an initial consultation. A 2024 WebMD account describes nearly a year of appointments without progress. Stanford's review platform also surfaces wait time as a recurring pain point. Once established as a patient, access appears to improve significantly based on multiple accounts.

A 2026 Nancy's Nook post describes Stanford requiring a confirmed endometriosis diagnosis before a referral to Dr. Lum is accepted, with new patients directed to a general OB/GYN first. This access pathway may create a barrier for patients who are earlier in their diagnostic journey or whose endo has not been surgically confirmed.

Bedside manner complaints appear independently across Healthgrades, RateMDs, and Reddit. A 2021 Healthgrades account from a patient with Stage 4 endo describes no eye contact and apparent indifference to daily pain. A 2021 RateMDs account describes a cold and dismissive manner. A 2026 Healthgrades account describes feeling bullied and having an endo experience dismissed by Dr. Lum, who cited a surgical report to contradict the patient. These accounts represent a minority against a much larger positive pool, but they appear across independent platforms.

A serious surgical outcome allegation appears independently on two platforms. A Healthgrades account (July 2022) and a WebMD account (August 2022) both describe a patient losing a kidney as a result of a surgical error. The accounts cannot be independently verified through public records. One account only on each platform, included given the seriousness of the allegation and its cross-platform appearance.

Concerns about surgical completeness and case limits appear across multiple sources. A 2025 Reddit account states that deep infiltrating endometriosis on organs would not be addressed and no additional specialists would be brought in. A 2023 Nancy's Nook account describes a patient whose 2017 surgery with Dr. Lum yielded inconclusive results; a subsequent surgery with a different surgeon found and removed Stage 2-3 endometriosis and deep infiltrates. Nancy's Nook notes independently flag that Dr. Lum will only operate once.

Endometriosis Focus

Endometriosis as the Primary Listed Specialty Within a Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Practice

Dr. Lum is a Clinical Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Stanford University and has served as Director of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery at Stanford Health Care since 2015. Endometriosis is listed first among the conditions treated on the Stanford Health Care provider profile, ahead of fibroids, ovarian cysts, and pelvic pain. Healthgrades treatment frequency data classifies endometriosis, chronic pelvic pain, and dysmenorrhea (painful periods) as very high frequency relative to similar providers, indicating a patient population that is substantially endo-focused.

 

One 2021 Reddit account describes Dr. Lum as seeing only endo patients, though this has not been confirmed through official practice sources. The practice is based at the Fibroid Center and Gynecology Clinic in Palo Alto and also lists uterine fibroids, hysteroscopic and laparoscopic myomectomy, hysterectomy, and ovarian cysts as areas of treatment.

Surgical Method

Laparoscopic Excision Confirmed; Robotic Use Not Publicly Documented

Dr. Lum performs laparoscopic excision surgery for endometriosis. Multiple patient accounts across Nancy's Nook and Reddit describe excision being performed, including in cases involving adhesions, ovarian involvement, and suspected adenomyosis. One 2020 Nancy's Nook account describes a combined surgery that included total laparoscopic hysterectomy, salpingectomy, and endometriosis excision. No public information has been found confirming whether robotic assistance is used, or what determines the choice of approach for a given case. Patients should ask directly.

Ask directly

  • Do you perform excision, ablation, or both? What factors determine which approach you use?
  • Do you use robotic or manual laparoscopy, and does that vary by case?

Other Areas of Specialty

Adenomyosis, Fibroids, and Fertility-Preserving Procedures

Beyond endometriosis, the practice has a documented focus on adenomyosis (a condition in which tissue grows into the uterine wall, causing pain and heavy bleeding), uterine fibroids, and minimally invasive hysterectomy. One 2021 Nancy's Nook account describes Dr. Lum performing the Osada technique, a rare uterine-preserving procedure for adenomyosis in patients who wish to retain fertility, noting it was the first case using this approach. Additional procedures listed include hysteroscopic myomectomy (fibroid removal through the cervix), laparoscopic myomectomy, and bilateral salpingectomy (fallopian tube removal). Dr. Lum also speaks Spanish, which is noted on the Stanford Health Care provider profile.

Multidisciplinary Approach

Referrals to Other Specialists Documented; Intraoperative Team Involvement Not Confirmed

Multiple Nancy's Nook accounts describe Dr. Lum coordinating referrals to other specialists for complex cases, including rheumatology, interventional radiology, pain psychology, gastroenterology, and pelvic floor physical therapy. One detailed 2022 account from a patient with a complex multi-system presentation describes Dr. Lum ordering an extensive workup and sending multiple specialist referrals, which the patient describes as more comprehensive care than any of approximately 40 prior providers. Stanford Health Care also offers pelvic floor PT and other ancillary services through its broader system.

 

No public information has been found confirming a standing multidisciplinary surgical team for complex endo cases. Patients with suspected multi-organ disease should ask directly about how that would be handled before proceeding.

Ask directly

  • Do you work with colorectal, urological, or thoracic surgeons for complex cases, and how is that coordinated?

Diagnosis Methods

MRI Used in Diagnostic Workup; Imaging Reliance Flagged Across Multiple Sources

Dr. Lum co-authored a 2016 paper on the utility of MRI in deeply infiltrating endometriosis, and patient accounts describe MRI as part of the standard diagnostic workup. One 2022 Reddit account describes a transvaginal ultrasound being ordered first, followed by MRI, before any surgical recommendation was made.

 

A 2026 Nancy's Nook post describes Stanford requiring a confirmed endometriosis diagnosis before a referral to Dr. Lum is accepted, suggesting the intake pathway may be oriented toward patients with established diagnoses rather than those seeking initial evaluation. A 2019 note from Nancy Petersen (Nancy's Nook founder) states that Dr. Lum reportedly does not believe endometriosis is present if it does not show on imaging. This is consistent with a 2022 WebMD account in which a patient describes being required to complete an additional MRI before Dr. Lum would proceed. Patients who have non-imaging-visible endo, or who have already had prior imaging, should ask directly about how Dr. Lum approaches cases where scans are negative or inconclusive.

Ask directly

  • Do you consider a negative ultrasound or MRI sufficient to rule out endometriosis?
  • What is your process for diagnosing endo in a patient who has never had surgery?

Educational Presence

Limited Public Presence in the Endometriosis Community

Dr. Lum received several video awards from AAGL in 2012 and 2013, including one specifically for endometriosis, during and shortly after the fellowship period under Dr. Ted Lee. Two endo-specific papers were published in 2016. No endo-focused research has been identified since then, with published work shifting toward fibroids.

 

Dr. Lum is listed as an investigator on ENACT, the UCSF-Stanford endometriosis research center, and has appeared as a panelist at two ENACT-hosted documentary screenings (2024 and 2025). One podcast appearance from 2019 has been confirmed. No personal social media presence has been found. Compared to many surgeons in this directory, Dr. Lum has a limited independent presence in the endometriosis community.

Post-Surgical Care

Attentive Post-Operative Follow-Up Documented Across Multiple Accounts

Multiple patient accounts describe a consistent post-surgical communication pattern: a voicemail from Dr. Lum immediately after surgery summarizing findings, photos from the procedure sent home with the patient, and a detailed written operative report. One 2022 Nancy's Nook account describes receiving a personal phone call from Dr. Lum the night before surgery to answer questions, and another call when biopsy results came back with an unexpected finding, after which Dr. Lum consulted with colleagues and immediately coordinated a specialist referral. Several accounts describe continued follow-up care over months and years post-surgery, with patients remaining under Dr. Lum's care long after the initial procedure.

Nancy's Nook notes flag that Dr. Lum will only operate once and may recommend hormones for recurrent pain rather than a second surgery. This is an important consideration for patients who may need revisional or staged surgery. Patients should ask directly.

Ask directly

  • Do you see patients personally at follow-up appointments, or does someone else from your team?
  • How soon after surgery is the first follow-up appointment?
  • For how long do you continue to see patients after surgery?
  • Do you recommend hormonal treatment or birth control after surgery, and what is your reasoning?

Philosophy and Fit

Patient-Led Decision-Making and Conservative Surgical Approach

Across multiple patient accounts, Dr. Lum is described as presenting a range of treatment options and allowing patients to make the final decision about their care rather than directing a single course of action. Accounts on Nancy's Nook and Reddit describe consultations that covered everything from hormonal management to excision to hysterectomy, with Dr. Lum presenting tradeoffs and supporting whichever path the patient chose. One 2022 Reddit account describes Dr. Lum as explicitly acknowledging that it is not the surgeon's place to dictate treatment, and as open to fertility-sparing approaches and supportive of patients who wanted to reduce medication use.

The limits of the surgical approach are also worth understanding before scheduling. Patients with complex or multi-organ disease, or those who may need more than one surgery, should discuss this directly before proceeding.

Ask directly

  • What percentage of your surgical cases involve endometriosis?
  • Do you treat patients who want to preserve fertility, and how does that affect your surgical approach?
  • If adenomyosis is found during surgery, how do you handle that in a patient who wants to preserve fertility?

Sources

  1. Stanford Health Care — Dr. Deirdre Lum provider profile
  2. Stanford Medicine — Dr. Deirdre Lum faculty profile
  3. Doximity — Dr. Deirdre Lum
  4. Healthgrades — Dr. Deirdre Lum
  5. RateMDs — Dr. Deirdre Lum
  6. WebMD Care — Dr. Deirdre Lum
  7. ENACT Center — UCSF-Stanford Endometriosis Center for Discovery, Innovation, Training and Community Engagement
  8. YouTube — Below the Belt film panel discussion, UCSF (ENACT presentation)
  9. The V Word Podcast — Ask A Lady Doc: Endometriosis with Dr. Deirdre Lum (2019)
  10. Techniques in minimally invasive surgery for advanced endometriosis — Stanford Health Care Publications, 2016
  11. Utility of MRI in deeply infiltrating endometriosis — Stanford Health Care Publications, 2016
  12. Nancy's Nook — surgeon listing and patient accounts
  13. Reddit — patient accounts