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Hysterectomy

 

 
 

A hysterectomy is an operation to remove a woman's uterus. The uterus is the place where a baby grows when a woman is pregnant. Sometimes, the ovaries and fallopian tubes also are taken out. Hysterectomies are very common - one in three women in the United States has had one by age 60.

Your health care provider might recommend a hysterectomy if you have

  • Fibroids
  • Endometriosis not cured by medicine or surgery
  • Uterine prolapse - when the uterus drops into the vagina
  • Cancer of the uterus, cervix, or ovaries
  • Vaginal bleeding that persists despite treatment
  • Chronic pelvic pain; surgery can be a last resort

Before having a hysterectomy, it is important to discuss other possible treatments with your health care provider. A hysterectomy will stop your periods, and you will no longer be able to get pregnant. If the surgery removes both ovaries, you will enter menopause.

Dept. of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health

 

 

 
 
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