A hysterectomy is surgery to remove a woman’s uterus. It may be done through an incision (cut) in either the abdomen (belly) or the vagina.

Your doctor will help you decide which type of hysterectomy is best for you. It will depend on your medical history and the reason for your surgery.

• Abdominal hysterectomy: The surgeon makes a 5-inch to 7-inch incision (cut) in the lower part of your belly. The cut may go either up and down, or it may go across your belly, just above your pubic hair (a bikini cut).
• Vaginal hysterectomy: The surgeon makes a cut in your vagina. Your uterus will be taken out through this cut. The cut in your vagina will be closed with stitches.
• Laparoscopic hysterectomy: A laparoscope is a narrow tube with a tiny camera on the end. Your surgeon will make 3 to 4 small cuts in your belly. The laparoscope and other surgical instruments will be inserted through the other cuts. Your uterus will be cut into smaller pieces that your surgeon will remove through the small cuts.
• Laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy: Your surgeon will remove your uterus through a cut inside your vagina. Your surgeon will also insert a laparoscope and other instruments into your belly through 2 or 3 small cuts.
• Robotic surgery is like laparoscopic surgery, but a special machine is used. It is most often used when a patient has cancer or is very overweight and vaginal surgery is not safe.

During a hysterectomy, the whole uterus or just part of it may be removed. The fallopian tubes (the tubes that connect the ovaries to the uterus) and ovaries may also be removed.

• A partial (or supracervical) hysterectomy is removal of just the upper part of the uterus. The cervix is left in place.
• A total hysterectomy is removal of the entire uterus and the cervix.
• A radical hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus, the tissue on both sides of the cervix (parametrium), and the upper part of the vagina. This is done mostly when some cancers are present.

There are many reasons a woman may need a hysterectomy. But, there may be ways to treat your condition that do not require this major surgery. Your condition may be helped with less invasive surgery. Talk with your doctor about your treatment options.

After having their uterus removed, many women will notice changes both in their body and in how they feel about themselves. Talk with your doctor, your family, and your friends about these possible changes before you have surgery.

Hysterectomy may be recommended for:

• Tumors in the uterus, like uterine fibroids
• Cancer of the uterus, most often endometrial cancer
• Cancer of the cervix or a precancerous condition of the cervix called cervical dysplasia
• Cancer of the ovary
• Endometriosis, when your pain is severe and other treatments have not helped
• Severe, long-term (chronic) vaginal bleeding that cannot be controlled by medicines
• Prolapse of the uterus. A prolapsed uterus slips down into the vagina.
• Adenomyosis. This condition occurs when the tissue that lines the uterus grows inside the walls of the uterus.
• Chronic pelvic pain
• Complications during childbirth, like bleeding that cannot be controlled

Depending on the condition, other, less invasive treatments may be possible. See also:

• Uterine artery embolization
• Pelvic laparoscopy