A hysterectomy is an operation to remove a woman's uterus. The uterus is the place where a baby grows when a woman is pregnant. Sometimes, the ovaries and fallopian tubes also are taken out. Hysterectomies are very common - one in three women in the United States has had one by age 60.
Your health care provider might recommend a hysterectomy if you have
- Fibroids
- Endometriosis not cured by medicine or surgery
- Uterine prolapse - when the uterus drops into the vagina
- Cancer of the uterus, cervix, or ovaries
- Vaginal bleeding that persists despite treatment
- Chronic pelvic pain; surgery can be a last resort
Before having a hysterectomy, it is important to discuss other possible treatments with your health care provider. A hysterectomy will stop your periods, and you will no longer be able to get pregnant. If the surgery removes both ovaries, you will enter menopause.
National Women's Health Information Center
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Hysterectomy(National Women's Health Information Center) - http://womenshealth.gov/faq/hysterectomy.cfm
Also available in Spanish http://womenshealth.gov/espanol/preguntas/hysterectomy.htm
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Hysterectomy
(Patient Education Institute) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/hysterectomy/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/hysterectomyspanish/htm/index.htm
- Abdominal Hysterectomy(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/hysterectomy/MY00163/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all
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JAMA Patient Page: Hysterectomy(American Medical Association) - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/291/12/1526.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/data/291/12/1526/DC1/1
- Hysterectomy Plus Ovary Removal Possibly Harmful(04/24/2009, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83381.html
- Preemie Delivery Tied to Later Heart Woes for Women(03/13/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_81693.html
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Laparoscopically Assisted Vaginal Hysterectomy(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp140.cfm
Also available in Spanish http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/sp140.cfm
- Alternatives to Hysterectomy(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/hysterectomy/hic_alternatives_to_hysterectomy.aspx
- Pap Smear: Still Necessary after Hysterectomy?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/pap-smear/AN00013/METHOD=print
- Types of Hysterectomy(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) - http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/utshel4.htm
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Hysterectomy(Patient Education Institute) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/hysterectomy/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/hysterectomyspanish/htm/index.htm
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Abdominal Hysterectomy with Coagulating Shears(OR-Live) - One hour program - 9/11/2007 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM-Flash/ens_1879/rnh.cfm?id=632
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Laparoscopic Supracervical Hysterectomy(OR-Live) - One hour program - 10/18/2007 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-flash/shm_1890/rnh.cfm?id=646
- Radical Hysterectomy Procedure for Cervical Cancer(OR-Live) - One hour program - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=248
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Robot-Assisted Gynecologic Oncology Surgery(OR-Live) - One hour program - 4/24/2008 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-flash/hal_2301/rnh.cfm?id=727
- Robot-Assisted Hysterectomy(OR-Live) - One hour program - 9/20/2006 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=349
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Robotic Hysterectomy for Endometrial Cancer(OR-Live) - One hour program - 7/17/2008 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-flash/nom_2257/rnh.cfm?id=757
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Robotic-Assisted Hysterectomy(OR-Live) - One hour program - 10/02/2007 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-flash/hah_1863/rnh.cfm?id=645
- Robotic-Assisted Hysterectomy for Endometrial Cancer(OR-Live) - One hour program - 2/21/2007 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=400
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Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomy Using Electrosurgery(OR-Live) - One hour program - 09/20/2007 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-flash/val_1898/rnh.cfm?id=627
- Description of the Uterus(National Uterine Fibroids Foundation) - http://www.nuff.org/health_theuterus.htm
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Hysterectomy
(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/intervention=hysterectomy
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Discussion: 'Laparoscopic versus vaginal hysterectomy for benign pathology' by Candiani... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19318159&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: By the way, doctor. I had a laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19297747&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Abnormal uterine bleeding: avoid the rush to hysterectomy. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19284939&tool=MedlinePlus
- Hysterectomy -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(hysterectomy[majr]+NOT+uterine+cervical+neoplasms[majr])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+review+[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- ACOG's Physician Directory(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - http://www.acog.org/member-lookup/disclaimer.cfm
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists - http://www.acog.org/
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National Women's Health Information Center(Dept. of Health and Human Services) - http://womenshealth.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://womenshealth.gov/espanol/
- Hysterectomy in the United States, 2000-2004(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/WomensRH/00-04-FS_Hysterectomy.htm
- Female Reproductive System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/femalereproductivesystem.html
- Surgery and Rehabilitation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/surgeryandrehabilitation.html
- Women - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/women.html
Hysterectomy - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/hysterectomy.html