When a Hysterectomy Is the Best Path Forward

 In general, you want to hang onto the organs you’re born with, but there are times when that path just doesn't make sense. An infected appendix, stones in your gallbladder, and a problematic uterus are three of the most commonly removed organs and, luckily, these are organs people can function well without.

Each year in the United States, about 500,000 women opt for a hysterectomy to remove their uterus, for a variety of reasons.

To help with your decision-making, the experienced team of women’s health experts at Dr. Jose F. De Leon, M.D., is using this month’s blog to review a few of the driving forces behind the hysterectomy and how women are improving their lives with this procedure.

Hysterectomy — a final solution for gynecologic conditions

Let’s first look at some of the common, and benign, gynecologic conditions that prompt women to elect for a hysterectomy.

Endometriosis

To call endometriosis common is an understatement as this condition affects up to 11% of women during their reproductive years. 

With endometriosis, cells and tissues that are supposed to grow inside your uterus instead grow on the outside. These tissues can attach themselves to other organs in your pelvis and create some very uncomfortable problems, such as pelvic pain and pain during sex.

If conservative treatments for endometriosis aren’t helping, a hysterectomy is a good solution that puts an end to the condition, once and for all.

Problematic fibroids

Up to 80% of women develop uterine fibroids. In a majority of cases, these benign growths don’t pose any issues. However, if the growths are large enough, numerous enough, or they’re located in a challenging area, they can lead to abdominal pain and heavy bleeding, among other side effects.

While some women opt to have only the fibroids removed during a myomectomy procedure, others choose to have the entire uterus, fibroids and all, removed via a hysterectomy.

Uterine prolapse

If your uterus loses its support, it can start to shift downward and into other organs, such as your bladder, rectum, and vagina. Complications of this type of pelvic organ prolapse incluse urinary incontinence and constipation.

If we’ve tried to re-establish support, to no avail, we can remove the uterus via a hysterectomy.

As you can see with those three conditions, a hysterectomy is often about quality of life — you want to put an end to heavy bleeding, pelvic pain, and functional problems.

Hysterectomy for cancer

Moving over to cancerous conditions — namely uterine cancer, which affects nearly 70,000 women in the US each year — a hysterectomy becomes less elective and more necessary.

Undergoing a hysterectomy

While it’s still a surgery, the good news is that we strive to perform hysterectomies using the most minimally invasive techniques available. In fact, we can often go in vaginally to remove your uterus, avoiding all abdominal incisions, which can speed up your recovery and increase your comfort.

In the end, opting for a hysterectomy is a decision only you can make, and we’re happy to help guide you in determining if it’s your best path forward. To sit down with one of our hysterectomy specialists, please contact one of our offices in Dallas or Irving, Texas, to schedule an appointment.