Hysterectomy
There are over 600,000 hysterectomies (removal of the uterus) performed in the United States annually. Unfortunately, majority of them are still performed abdominally. However, West End Ob/Gyn physicians are performing a vast majority of hysterectomies laparoscopically or vaginally, in which patients recover much faster with less pain, and usually go home from the hospital one day after the surgery. Most of the hysterectomies are performed for benign reasons (not cancer), such as fibroid tumors, bleeding, and pelvic pain.
Hysterectomies are classified by how much of the uterus is removed, and also by the method of removal, such as abdominal, vaginal, or laparoscopic.
Once the decision is made to proceed with a hysterectomy, West End Ob/Gyn physicians will discuss many options and actively get their patients involved in the decision making process as to which hysterectomy is the most suitable.
Ovaries are sometimes removed at the time of the hysterectomy and sometimes they are not. That decision is made according to patient's age, medical condition, and condition of the ovaries, after reviewing risks and benefits along with pros/cons with individual patients.
Sometimes patients do take hormone replacement therapy after a hysterectomy and removal of ovaries. Those who do not have their ovaries removed will still have the same amout of hormones and do not require hormone replacement after the hysterectomy.
