Hysterectomy

Why a hysterectomy is necessary

A hysterectomy is a major operation for a woman that's only recommended ifother treatment options have been unsuccessful.

The most common reasons for having a hysterectomy include:

heavy periods which can becaused byfibroids, for example
Pelvic pain which may be caused byendometriosis, unsuccessfully treated pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), adenomyosis or fibroids
prolapse of the uterus
cancer of the womb,ovaries or cervix

Heavy periods

Many women lose a largeamount of blood during their monthly periods . They may alsoexperience other symptoms, such as painand stomach cramps.

For some women, the symptoms can have asignificant impact ontheir quality of life. Sometimes heavy periods can be caused byfibroids, but in many cases there's no obvious cause.

In some cases, removingthe womb may be the only way of stopping persistent heavy menstrual bleeding when:

other treatments haven't worked
the bleedinghas a significantimpact on quality of life and it's preferable for periods to stop
the womanno longer wishes to have children

However, if it spreads, it can damage the womb andfallopian tubes, resulting in long-term pain.

Ahysterectomy to remove thewomb and fallopian tubesmay be recommended if a woman has severepain from PID andno longer wants children.

This can leadtopain, heavy and irregular periods , and infertility .

Ahysterectomy may remove the areas of endometrial tissue causing the pain. However,it will usually only be considered if other less invasive treatments haven't worked andthe woman decides not to have any more children.

The growths are made up of muscle and fibrous tissue, and vary in size.

The symptoms of fibroids can include:

heavy or painful periods
pelvicpain
frequent urination or constipation
pain or discomfort during sex

A hysterectomymay be recommended if you have large fibroids or severe bleeding and you don't want to have any more children.

This extra tissue can make your periods particularly painful and cause pelvic pain.

A hysterectomycan cureadenomyosis, but will only be considered if all other treatments have failed and you don't want to have any more children.

Prolapse of the uterus

A prolapsed uterus happens when the tissues and ligaments that support the womb become weak, causing it to drop down from its normal position.

Symptoms can include:

back pain
a feeling that something is coming down out ofyour vagina
leaking urine (urinary incontinence)
difficulty having sex

A prolapsed uterus canoften occur as a result of childbirth.

A hysterectomy resolvesthe symptoms ofa prolapse because it removes the entirewomb. It may be recommended if the tissues and ligamentsthat support the womb areseverely weakened and the woman doesn't want any more children.