HYSTERECTOMIES, EXPLAINED

Traditionally associated with cancers and heavy bleeding, the majority of hysterectomies are now performed for pain management

What is a hysterectomy?

A sub-total hysterectomy removes your uterus, so you’ll no longer be able to conceive, says obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Ellie Rayner. You may also be advised to have your cervix removed (known as a total hysterectomy) – if you have your ovaries and fallopian tubes removed, too, it’s called a total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophrectomy.

How common is the procedure?

It’s one of the most common gynaecological surgical procedures in the UK, normally carried out on an estimated 55,000 women a year, either on the NHS or privately. As many as one in five women will have the operation at some point in their lives, the majority in their forties and fifties.

What does it involve?

It’s always performed under a general or regional anaesthetic, explains Dr Rayner. Incisions may be made via the tummy or can be vaginal, in the case of prolapse, and you may be kept in hospital overnight for a number of days, with recovery time taking up to eight weeks.

How successful an intervention is it for treating pelvic pain?

For conditions like adenomyosis, fibroids and pelvic inflammatory disease, the success rate is high. But, women with endometriosis have a 15% chance of persistent pain reoccurring. Dr Tania Adib, a consultant gynaecologist, explains that if the ovaries remain, oestrogen will stimulate any endometriosis left behind.