Hysterectomy

Hysterectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the uterus, often performed to treat conditions such as uterine fibroids, endometriosis, or cancer.

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Overview

Hysterectomy is a surgery to remove the uterus – or womb – and treat health problems that affect your reproductive system. Since a baby grows inside the womb, you cannot get pregnant after this procedure. Also, you’ll stop having periods, regardless of your age.

This procedure is more common in women aged 40-50.

Istanbul Med Assist assists you with advanced hysterectomy techniques, including minimally invasive and robotic surgery.

Why is hysterectomy done?

You may need this surgery for several reasons:

Ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, cervical cancer, or cancer of the fallopian tubes
Non-cancerous tumors (fibroids)
Long-term pelvic pain
Heavy periods

It would be best to consider it only after less invasive treatments don’t work because it is a major surgery with a long recovery time.

How it’s done?

There are different ways to perform the surgery according to your needs. For example, a partial hysterectomy removes the uterus, leaving your cervix intact. On the other hand, a total hysterectomy removes the womb and cervix both.

Sometimes, doctors need to remove one or both ovaries and fallopian tubes.

Your doctor considers;

why do you need the operation
how much of your womb and surrounding reproductive system is salvable

There are 3 methods to carry out the surgery:

Laparoscopic (keyhole surgery): They remove the womb through a small cut in your tummy
Vaginal: They remove your womb through a cut in the top of the vagina
Abdominal: They remove the womb through a cut in your lower tummy

A patient talking to her gynecologist in the hospital room

Types of hysterectomy

Total hysterectomy
Subtotal Hysterectomy
Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy
Radical hysterectomy

Recovery time

After surgery, you stay at the hospital for up to 5 days and fully recover in 6 to 8 weeks. However, recovery time can vary based on the type of hysterectomy.

Rest as much as you can during recovery, and do not lift anything heavy because you need time for your muscles and tissues to heal.

Surgical menopause

If your doctor removes the ovaries, you go through menopause right after surgery. Additionally, your age isn’t a factor for surgical menopause. However, if one or both ovaries are intact, you may enter menopause within 5 years after surgery.

Hormone replacement therapy may replace the hormones and relieve any menopausal symptoms such as:

Sweating
Disturbed sleep
Hot flushes

If you have cancer, surgery can be your only option for treatment.

However, for other health problems, ask yourself these questions before deciding to have surgery:

Are my symptoms affecting my life?
Have I sought other treatment options?
Am I ready for early menopause?
Do I want to have children in the future?

Moreover, you may need to decide whether to have the cervix or ovaries removed, as well as your womb. Your personal feelings and medical history are important factors in making this decision.