5 Reasons You May Need a Hysterectomy
The womb is essential in housing and providing an environment that nourishes the implanted embryo as it develops into offspring. The pear-shaped female organ also plays an important role in menstruation and labor. For instance, every month, the endometrium prepares for embryo implantation. If you do not get pregnant, the endometrial tissue is shed through menstruation. Sometimes though, you may need a San Antonio hysterectomy, which is the surgical removal of the womb. The National Institutes of Health states that more than 500,000 American women undergo partial or total surgical uterus removal.
Hysterectomy is the second most common procedure after cesarean delivery among American women.
Subsequently, below are the main reasons you may have a hysterectomy.
- Fibroids
Also called uterine myoma, fibroids are non-cancerous growths in the uterus during your reproductive age.
Often, uterine fibroids do not put you at more risk of uterine cancer, and they rarely interfere with your pregnancy. Uterine fibroids usually develop slowly or reach a certain stage and fail to develop further. After menopause, they tend to shrink.
Still, uterine fibroids can produce severe symptoms such as abdominal distension, pain, and heavy bleeding and thus affect fertility in several ways.
For example, uterine fibroids may impede the meeting of sperm and egg and embryo implantation.
- Cancer
Your health provider may recommend a hysterectomy if you have cancerous cells in your cervix, uterus, or endometrium.
Also, if you have hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), surgical removal of the uterus puts you at less risk of developing cancer in your womb.
- Endometrial hyperplasia
This precancerous condition involves irregular thickening of the inner lining of the uterus. That occurs because of excessive estrogen production or inadequate progesterone creation. Thus, too many cells are created if the uterus has a hormonal imbalance.
Because the uterus lining is unusually thick, you are highly likely to experience heavy, irregular menstruation.
A hysterectomy suits you if your endometrial hyperplasia is severe or may lead to cancer.
- Uterine prolapse
The condition involves the weakening of the muscles, ligaments, and tissues of the pelvic floor. As a result, the womb sags and drops down into the vagina.
Severe uterine prolapse makes it challenging to have a normal bowel movement and causes pain and discomfort in the pelvic floor muscles. Moreover, you may feel pain during sex and find it difficult to place tampons into your vagina.
You are at high risk of uterine prolapse if you are in the menopausal stage, have had at least one vaginal birth, or are obese.
If a minimally invasive surgical procedure fails to strengthen the weak pelvic floor muscles, you may choose surgical removal of your womb.
- Pelvic inflammatory disease
A sexually transmitted infection can spread from your vagina to the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries.
Infection of your reproductive organs may be due to sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea. Still, pelvic inflammatory disease may occur because of a non-sexual infection.
Remember, a hysterectomy can help stop irregular, heavy bleeding, remove cancerous cells, make sex pain-free, prevent cancer, relieve chronic pain, and improve the overall quality of your life.
Contact Aurora OB/GYN today to schedule an appointment with a hysterectomy and learn more if the procedure suits you.