The uterus is a vital organ for reproduction, sitting behind the bladder and in front of the rectum. It is a hollow, pear-shaped muscular organ in the female lower abdomen and pelvis. A single fallopian tube and one ovary are attached to the uterus on each side. The surgical procedure to remove the uterus is called hysterectomy (uterus removal surgery).
During gestation, the fertilised egg implants in the uterus lining. It is the place where the developing fetus is nourished before birth. Post hysterectomy, a woman can no longer have menstrual periods and cannot become pregnant.
In this blog, you can get to know about hysterectomy signs, types of hysterectomy, the right candidate for hysterectomy, complications and recovery time from a hysterectomy.
Hysterectomy signs
The most common hysterectomy signs include:
- Heavy periods due to fibroids
- Pelvic pain caused by endometriosis,
- Unsuccessfully treated pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
- prolapse of the uterus.
- Cancer of the cervix or womb
Types of Hysterectomy
Different types of hysterectomy are needed depending on the status of your uterus condition. Depending on the procedure selected, your fallopian tubes or ovaries will be either removed or not.
- Total hysterectomy:
The total hysterectomy removes the uterus and cervix, leaving the ovaries behind.
- Supracervical hysterectomy:
It involves the removal of just the upper part of the uterus while leaving the cervix.
- Total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy:
It involves complete removal of the uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes (salpingectomy), and ovaries (oophorectomy). If you haven't undergone menopause, extracting the ovaries will start menopausal signs.
- Radical hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy:
In cases of hysterectomy involving cancer, the uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, upper position of the vagina, surrounding tissue, and lymph nodes are removed.
How Common Is Hysterectomy (Surgical Removal of the Uterus)?
After the Caesarean section, hysterectomy is women's most commonly performed surgery. The cases of hysterectomy are on the rise in India.
The stats for hysterectomy surgery in India reveal that around 11% of women over 45 undergo uterus removal, whereas only 3.2% of women between 15 to 45 years old have to undergo uterus removal procedures.
The complete analysis depicts Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Punjab as the leading state with the highest number of hysterectomy cases in the last decade.
Medical techniques are often considered cleanly as physiological problems. Given how indistinguishably linked they are to policy, gender, class, and other social markers, it would be naive to do so.
Talking about different gynaecological procedures, the second most common surgery after cesarean section is hysterectomy, a prevalent type of surgery. Hysterectomy is performed as a treatment for health conditions when alternate therapies, such as medication, hormone treatments, or less invasive surgical procedures, have been unsuccessful in alleviating symptoms such as bleeding and pain.
Who is the candidate for a hysterectomy?
The candidate for a hysterectomy is primarily those who have
- Irregular or heavy vaginal bleeding that is not under control.
- Severe ache with menses which other treatment methods cannot control
- Uterine fibroids
- Increased pelvic pain because of the uterus
- pelvic floor muscles and ligaments stretch and weaken, not providing enough support to the uterus
- Uterine cancer or abnormalities
Hysterectomy complications
There are various types of hysterectomy complications
- Anaesthetic complications.
- Bleeding disorder
- Ureter damage
- Bladder or bowel injury
- Infection.
- Blood clots
- Vaginal problems
- Ovary collapse
The Emotional Effects of hysterectomy
There are various emotional effects of hysterectomy starting from fearing surgery intricacies to mourning the upcoming loss of fertility., There is some nervousness before the procedure, and it's critical to calm those fears before a hysterectomy. Not only has stress been linked to slower healing of wounds after surgery, but how you feel about a hysterectomy before you have it may also determine your emotions afterwards.
Hysterectomy recovery time
Abdominal Hysterectomy recovery time is around 2-3 days. The complete recovery takes around six to eight weeks for abdominal hysterectomy. During your recovery, you need to stay back at home. You can start with small walks but are not supposed to lift heavy objects. The minimal time to recovery is around 6 weeks when you could get back to your regular activity.