Hysterectomy

Hysterectomy surgery: What you should know?

You might be quite familiar with the name uterus removal surgery as a large number of women are undergoing it in the recent years. Hysterectomy is the surgical procedure in which partial or complete removal of the uterus is done.  Here is what you should know about the hysterectomy procedure.

What is hysterectomy?

Hysterectomy is one of the most common non-obstetrical surgeries that women undergo. It is a surgical procedure in which the uterus or the womb is removed from the female body. It is comparatively safe but all types of surgery come with certain risks. As you are aware of, the woman cannot become pregnant after hysterectomy as it stops fertility, and normally the procedure is advised only after family completion.

Types of Hysterectomy

There are different types of hysterectomy and your Gynaecologist will help you to choose the type according to the severity and characteristic of the disease. In all cases of hysterectomy, the woman will no longer have menstruation and becomes infertile.

What leads to hysterectomy?

Your gynecologist may advise hysterectomy for several reasons ranging from Fibroids to malignancy. Mostly hysterectomy is suggested when other treatment methods produce no positive results. Here go the major reasons.

Total Hysterectomy

In this procedure, the whole of the uterus and the cervix is removed. It may include the fallopian tubes as well as the ovaries. Total abdominal hysterectomy is advised on conditions like gynecological cancer, endometriosis, large uterine fibroids, etc.

Partial Hysterectomy

In the partial hysterectomy, only the uterus is removed and leaves the cervix intact. It removes the least amount of tissues and is a less complicated procedure than total hysterectomy. It can be done through an incision just above the public hair line.

Radical hysterectomy

This is performed in a woman as a treatment for cervical cancer or endometrial cancer. In the procedure, top part of the vagina, cervix, ovaries, fallopian tubes, lymph nodes, lymph channels and tissue in the pelvic cavity that surrounds the cervix are removed. It is a rare type of hysterectomy.

How is it performed?

There are majorly two ways of performing the hysterectomy. They are:

Abdominal hysterectomy

The open abdominal surgery involves an incision that is done horizontally or vertically in the abdominal area to remove the blood vessels, fallopian tubes, uterus etc and it is lifted out. The recovery may take four to six weeks after the surgery.

Vaginal hysterectomy

In this type, an incision is made just above the vagina and the surgeon cuts off the ligaments, blood vessels, and fallopian tubes through it. After cutting, it is removed through the vagina. There will not be any visible scar and is less painful. But it won’t be possible to remove ovaries out of this procedure.