When Should I Consider a Hysterectomy?

You might need  —or need to consider — a hysterectomy for any number of reasons. This surgical procedure removes a woman’s uterus. The doctor might also remove your fallopian tubes and/or ovaries during the surgery. After a hysterectomy, you won’t have a menstrual cycle, and you won’t be able to get pregnant.

A hysterectomy is the second most common surgery for women in the United States, right after a C-section. Each year, doctors perform almost 500,000 hysterectomies.

At Women’s Health Specialists, PLLC in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, our team of experienced providers offers hysterectomies for our patients with a range of conditions. Many of these women have tried a number of more conservative options but have been unsuccessful in reducing their symptoms to an acceptable level. Here’s what our experts have to say about when you should consider getting a hysterectomy.

For which conditions should hysterectomy be considered?

Hysterectomy is a permanent treatment option, so it’s important for the symptoms to warrant it. It’s usually not a life-saving surgery, but it provides significant improvements for some symptoms or even resolves them altogether. 

Here are some of the most common reasons to get a hysterectomy.

Uterine fibroids

Fibroids, the most common reasons hysterectomies are performed, are noncancerous growths of muscular tissue that form in the uterine wall. 

Small fibroids may cause no symptoms, but larger fibroids can cause heavy bleeding, pain, or stomach distention, and they may affect fertility.

The doctor may first recommend medications (often oral birth control pills) or other less-invasive procedures, such as a myomectomy, which removes the fibroids but leaves the uterus intact. If these measures aren’t effective, or if the fibroids regrow and/or produce symptoms, a hysterectomy may be your best choice.

Endometriosis

Endometriosis occurs when tissue that normally lines the uterus grows outside of it, on the outer uterine wall or on other organs. It can cause extreme pain and irregular periods, and it may lead to infertility.

First-line treatments include hormone therapy or procedures that remove endometrial tissue.

A hysterectomy may reduce or even eliminate endometriosis symptoms; however, it’s still possible for the tissue to grow back following hysterectomy. You and your doctor should weigh the pros and cons of the procedure before moving ahead.

Uterine cancer

Cancer accounts for about 10% of all hysterectomies, and your doctor may recommend it if you’ve developed cancer of the uterus, ovary, cervix, or endometrium.

Sometimes, doctors may recommend the surgery if you have precancerous lesions or if they suspect you have cancer. Sometimes, removing the uterus may be a safer way of diagnosing the cancer than through a biopsy of tissue on an intact uterus.

If you test positive for the BRCA gene, that doesn’t mean you have to have a hysterectomy. People with this gene are at an increased risk for ovarian and breast cancers, so the doctor may simply recommend the removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes, leaving the uterus intact.

Uterine prolapse

When the uterus slips from its usual place and falls into the vagina, it’s called a uterine prolapse. It’s more common in women who’ve had multiple vaginal births, but it can also affect obese individuals or those who’ve gone through menopause.

Common symptoms include:

• Pelvic pressure
• Urinary issues
• Bowel problems

Treatment options depend on the severity of the prolapse and its symptoms. Certain physical exercises and devices can be used to help the problem at home, and, in some cases, doctors can use minimally invasive surgery to repair the weakened pelvic tissues. However, if these options don’t work, a hysterectomy may be the treatment of choice.

Abnormal uterine bleeding

If you regularly experience heavy or irregular menstrual bleeding or chronic pelvic pain, a hysterectomy may reduce the symptoms.

Irregular bleeding can be caused by fibroids, infections, hormone changes, cancer, and other conditions that may come with stomach cramps and other pain.

If you’re experiencing heavy menstrual flow or chronic pelvic pain, you need to see one of the specialists at Women’s Health Specialists, PLLC for an evaluation and diagnosis that will help you and your doctor determine what treatment is best. To get started, call us today at 615-907-2040, or book your appointment online.