HYSTERECTOMY: INTRODUCTION
The decision whether to have a hysterectomy, try some other treatment, or postpone any intervention and let nature take its course, is of great importance to many women. Hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus, sometimes accompanied by oophorectomy, the removal of the ovaries. Most hysterectomies and oophorectomies performed these days are elective — meaning they are carried out by choice rather than as emergency or lifesaving procedures.
Hysterectomy is one of the most common major surgical procedures performed on women worldwide. In the United States alone, around 600 000 women have the operation each year. Yet many questions remain unanswered about the appropriateness of hysterectomy for those women having it, and its effects on health, sexuality and life expectancy.
Trends in types of hysterectomy. In Australia in the late 1980s, the vast majority of hysterectomy procedures were abdominal. By the early 1990s, however, vaginal procedures (including laparoscopically assisted hysterectomy) appeared to be gaining ground, increasing from 25 to 29% of all hysterectomies performed. This is significant because the type of hysterectomy carried out influences the duration of and pain experienced after surgery, the time a woman spends in hospital and at home convalescing, and any postoperative complications she may experience.
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