A Hysterectomy is a medical procedure that involves the surgical removal of a woman’s uterus. Depending on the kind of medical condition, the gravity of the situation and the physical status of the patient, parts or the whole uterus can be extracted.
Women who choose to undergo a hysterectomy do so for a number of reasons and all of them are medically related. No woman would opt to remove their uterus just because they want to. The uterus is not just a vital part of a woman’s anatomy. It’s also an integral part in what makes a woman a woman. So opting for a hysterectomy is no one’s first choice unless faced certain medical conditions that a hysterectomy can no longer be put off.
Many women choose to undergo a hysterectomy because of these reasons: painful uterine fibroids, bleeding, a uterine prolapse (a displacement of the uterus into the vaginal canal), Uterine, cervical and ovarian cancer, endometriosis, chronic pelvic pain and thickening of the uterus. Hysterectomy for noncancerous reasons is only considered when other treatment options have been exhausted to no success.
There are different types of Hysterectomy. When a surgeon removes only the upper part of the uterus without touching the cervix, it is called a subcervial or subtotal hysterectomy. A total hysterectomy removes the whole uterus including the cervix. In a few cases, radical hysterectomy maybe performed. Radical hysterectomy involves the complete removal of the uterus, tissue on the sides of the uterus, the cervix and the top part of the vagina. In some cases, the ovaries may also be removed.
Aside from the types of hysterectomy that may be performed, there are two ways to do it. One is the open surgery hysterectomy and it is the most common of the procedure. It makes up for almost two-thirds of all procedures. To perform this open surgery hysterectomy, the surgeon makes a 5 to 7 inch incision, horizontally or vertically, across the belly. The surgeon removes the uterus or part of it through the incision. An open surgery will produce visible scar in the area of the incision.
The other type of a hysterectomy is the MIP hysterectomy. There are a number of ways to perform a MIP. The first approach is a vaginal hysterectomy wherein the surgeon incises the vagina and removes the uterus from there. The clear advantage is there is no visible scarring after the incision has been closed. Another one is a laparoscopic hysterectomy wherein the surgery is performed using a laparoscope. Using the laparoscope and surgical apparatuses that are inserted through three small holes in the abdomen, the hysterectomy is performed from the outside viewing the uterus through a camera. A laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy is also possible where the incision is made in the vagina and laparoscopic surgical tools are used to remove the uterus. There is also a robot assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy which is a more advanced hysterectomy procedure.
An MIP approach is a much more recommended kind of hysterectomy. It allows for faster recovery, and a quicker stay in the hospital. The pain is manageable, no visible scarring and a lower chance of infection than an abdominal hysterectomy. With an MIP, women can go back to their usual routine in just a few weeks compared to an open surgery hysterectomy.
With every medical procedure, there are risks involve. Getting a hysterectomy can result in urinary incontinence, vaginal prolapse, fistula formation, and chronic pain.
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