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hysterectomy
When your doctor recommends a hysterectomy
If your doctor and you have talked about having a hysterectomy, it’s safe to say you may be feeling overwhelmed. Removal of the uterus (sometimes along with the ovaries and/or the cervix)—constitutes something of a loss. That’s why it’s important to learn about all your options.
Hysterectomy may be performed to treat conditions that affect the uterus, including fibroids, endometriosis, pelvic support problems (such as uterine prolapse), abnormal uterine bleeding, chronic pelvic pain and cancer.
Questions you may want to ask yourself and your doctor:
- Have I tried all the alternative treatments?
- Are my symptoms so unbearable as to make my life miserable?
- Will the operation relieve all my symptoms?
- Could there be any unexpected consequences?
- Am I prepared for an earlier menopause?
- Do I still want to have children?
- What will happen if I decide not to have a hysterectomy?
- How is the hysterectomy is performed?
- What are the risks of the surgery?
- How long is the recovery after surgery?
Types of hysterectomy
The type of hysterectomy your doctor recommends will depend on your individual condition.
Abdominal hysterectomy
- Uterus removed through incision in abdomen
- Gives the surgeon a good view of the uterus and other organs, especially helpful for large tumors or risk of cancer.
- Longer recovery time and abdominal scarring are considerations.
Vaginal hysterectomy
- Uterus removed through vagina.
- No abdominal scarring; slightly shorter recovery time.
Laparoscopically-assisted vaginal hysterectomy
- Uterus removed through vagina; surgeon can see pelvic organs on a screen, through a light-transmitting laparoscope.
- Additional small cuts made in the abdomen to assist the surgery.
- Recovery similar to vaginal hysterectomy however the procedure may take longer.
Laparoscopic hysterectomy
- Two types: laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy (LSH), which leaves the cervix in place; and total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH), which removes both the uterus and the cervix.
- Uterus removed in small pieces through small incisions in the abdomen.
- Shorter recovery time than abdominal and possibly vaginal hysterectomy.
daVinci® hysterectomy
- Enables a complex surgery through tiny surgical openings in the abdomen; surgical maneuvers are entirely directed by the physician.
- Shorter hospital stay, less pain, faster recovery.
- Virginia Women's Center physicians Katherine Czyszczon, Douglas Hutcheson, Leigh Lewis, Elizabeth Roberts, Peter Wilbanks and Heather Zechman are skilled in daVinci® hysterectomy.
- Learn more about surgeries using the daVinci® Surgical System.
- Read about our patients’ experiences with the daVinci® Surgical System.
Additional information