Common Reasons Why Women Opt for a Hysterectomy

After the cesarean section, hysterectomy is the second most common surgical procedure that women in the United States undergo. This translates to about 600,000 women per year. During a hysterectomy, your uterus is removed, and sometimes your ovaries and fallopian tubes are removed as well. 

If your doctor recommends a hysterectomy, it’s important to understand why. Even though the surgery is common, you should learn all you can about your options, what happens during and after the procedure, and more. 

Dr. Kevin Hooker is highly trained and experienced in women’s health care, and should he recommend a hysterectomy for you, he explains why it’s advised and what to expect, and he answers all your questions about the surgery and recovery from it. 

Why do I need a hysterectomy?

Dr. Hooker performs hysterectomies to treat a host of conditions:

• Fibroids, or benign tumors in your uterus that cause pain, bleeding, anemia, and other problems 
• Adenomyosis is when your uterine lining breaks through your uterine wall and causes uterine enlargement and painful periods
• Endometriosis occurs when your uterine lining grows outside the uterus and affects your ovaries, fallopian tubes, and other organs
• Gynecologic cancer
• Chronic pelvic pain or uterine bleeding that contributes to very lengthy and heavy periods
• Uterine prolapse, when your tissues and ligaments no longer support your uterus and it descends into your vagina

Although hysterectomy is a frequently performed surgical solution, you must be ready for the changes it brings, such as ending your childbearing ability and the end of menstruation, which means you go through menopause.

Dr. Hooker and everyone on the Lake Havasu OBGYN Care team provide you with all the information you need to make a sound decision about the surgery, and see you through both surgery and recovery. 

Several types of hysterectomy surgery

There are not only three broad types of hysterectomy, but several surgical methods employed:

• During a total hysterectomy, your uterus and cervix are removed
• A partial hysterectomy removes only the upper portion of your uterus, and your cervix is preserved
• A radical hysterectomy removes your entire uterus, as well as tissue on either side of it,  your cervix, and your upper vagina 

Depending on certain factors, either one or both of your ovaries may be removed, as well as your fallopian tubes. The medical reason for your hysterectomy dictates which type you receive, but radical hysterectomies are most commonly done when treating cancer. 

As with many other procedures, you can have a traditional open hysterectomy, which is an abdominal surgery. Typically you spend two or three days in the hospital following the surgery, as a 5-7-inch incision is made in your abdomen in order to remove your uterus and, if necessary, your ovaries and fallopian tubes. 

When your surgery is done as a minimally invasive procedure, it’s called an MIP hysterectomy. You can get:

• A vaginal hysterectomy, where your surgeon removes your uterus through a small vaginal incision
• Laparoscopic hysterectomy, which involves your surgeon’s use of a thin, flexible tube with a lighted camera on one end; he uses surgical instruments to perform the surgery, which are inserted through small abdominal incisions or a single small incision in your navel
• Laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy is done through a vaginal incision, again with a laparoscope
• Robot-assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy requires three or four incisions near your navel and your surgeon is guided by a real time image of your surgical site on a large video screen; this enables him to control the surgery remotely with added precision

Generally, laparoscopic and robotic procedures require less time in the hospital and offer a quicker recovery and less pain.  

Emotions around hysterectomy

There is no “right” way to think about your hysterectomy. Some women mourn the loss of their uterus and the fact that they won’t be able to get pregnant, while others are happy to gain relief if their symptoms have been debilitating. As with any surgery, every woman processes it in her own way.

Learn more about hysterectomy

No matter what issue you may be dealing with that a hysterectomy might treat, it’s best to talk to Dr. Hooker about this and any other options available to treat you. Call our office for a consultation, or book one online.