This article on
hysterectomy by women's health is on the US Federal Government Source for Women's Health Information. It
is chock-full of good information concerning
hysterectomy. A hysterectomy
involves the removal of the uterus. This is the second mostcommon surgery for women. A woman may have a hysterectomy for one of thefollowing reasons: cancer of the uterus or cervix, fibroids, endometriosis,vaginal bleeding, or pelvic pain. Having a hysterectomy may require a woman toremain in the hospital several days. Time off work and normal daily activitiesshould be at least six weeks. There are varying degrees to a hysterectomy. Insome cases, only the uterus is removed; in some the uterus and cervix areremoved; and in others, the uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes, ovaries areremoved. There are two ways to perform a hysterectomy, abdominal and vaginal. Anabdominal hysterectomy involves making an incision in the lower abdomen. It canbe made either vertical or horizontal. The disadvantage to an abdominalhysterectomy is it requires a longer hospital stay and the patient mayexperience more pain and discomfort. Also, the patient will have a permanentscar. A vaginal hysterectomy involves making a small incision around the cervix.This may require a laproscope to be inserted through a small incision to viewthe detachment of the uterus. After it is detached, it is removed through thevagina. The recovery time for a vaginal hysterectomy is shorter than for anabdominal hysterectomy. After either surgery, the woman will experience pain andstiffness. An over-the-counter pain medication is usually strong enough toalleviate symptoms. A small percentage of women may experience blood loss, bowelor bladder damage, infections or reactions to anesthesia. Reading this article on hysterectomy will give you a better understanding of what a hysterectomy is and when one is necessary. It is very self-explanatory, complete with a diagram to show which parts are removed during the operation and what function they perform in the body.