What are the different ways in which a hysterectomy is performed?
admin | Jun 27, 2011 | Comments 0
The surgery can be performed either through an abdominal incision or vaginally. Those are your choices. If you are to have the surgery, then you’ll want to thoroughly discuss with your physician why a specific surgical method is being recommended. Your surgeon
will examine you, evaluate your level of disease, and then recommend the method that will be most effective in the treatment of your condition. Abdominal surgeries generally are chosen for fibroids of relatively large size, certain cases involving endometriosis, and
for any form of cancer (ovarian, endometrial, or cervical). Numerous studies have shown that for noncancerous conditions, doctors should strive for vaginal surgeries (removing the uterus through the vagina) when at all possible. There is more than one technique that can be employed to accomplish this task, which will be explained here.
First, it is important to underscore that the way in which your operation is performed can have a bearing on the amount of time you spend recuperating. Abdominal surgeries (which are performed through an incision similar to that for a cesarean section) are associated with longer recovery periods and more manipulation
of other abdominal structures during surgery (your intestines get jostled a bit); also there is a greater degree of postoperative pain. Recovery can take up to 6 weeks. The majority of hysterectomies performed in the United States are abdominal procedures.
On the plus side, the abdominal operation allows your surgeon a keen view of the uterus and other reproductive organs and sufficient space to remove large fibroids, which sometimes can reach the size of a grapefruit or even larger. An abdominal hysterectomy, nevertheless, will leave a scar. With vaginal procedures, weeks
are eliminated from the recovery period (the recovery takes about a month), and your bowel function returns sooner because there is far less interference with your intestines during surgery. Generally, the overall surgery is less painful. That said, the National Uterine
Fibroids Foundation (NUFF), a non profit information clearinghouse based in Colorado, estimates that up to 144 million work hours are lost annually to recuperation from hysterectomies, regardless of how
they are performed. Through its Web site, NUFF promotes awareness about the number of hysterectomies performed in the United States, especially for uterine fibroids, and underscores that women need to know about less invasive alternatives.
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