February 26, 2008

All You Need to Know About Abdominal Hysterectomy

Posted in Category : Women's Health

Surgical procedure like abdominal hysterectomy is performed to safely remove the uterus by carrying out incisions in the lower regions of the abdomen. Sometimes in this procedure along with the uterus, one of the two ovaries or and the fallopian tubes are also removed. In this surgery, the surgeon briefly evaluates the female reproductive anatomy. He goes through the structure, composition and exact condition of the female uterus.

A pear-shaped beefy organ, uterus lies in the lower abdominal region or pelvis. Towards the upper end of the uterus, one end of the fallopian tube opens and its next end lies just after the ovary. The uterus becomes slender in shape at its lower ending, which is called as cervix and opens at the vagina. The ovaries are positioned along the back side of the uterus.

Plenty complications can lead to abdominal hysterectomy such as abnormal uterine bleeding, fibroids, pelvic organ prolepses, cervical abnormalities, endometrial hyperplasia, Cancer, brutal bleeding after childbirth and never-ending pelvic pain.

Before undergoing the surgery, the surgeon has to decide whether he/she should eliminate either the cervix or ovaries. If the removal of ovary has taken place, the woman must decide whether she wants to undergo the estrogen replacement therapy or not.

In the standard abdominal hysterectomy, there is a complete removal of uterus and cervix. However, in the supracervical or partial hysterectomy, the cervix is left behind in its proper place and only the upper side of the uterus is removed. When woman suffers from excessive bleeding after conceiving the child, it is not possible to accurately identify the beginning or end of the cervix or the vagina during a supracervical hysterectomy. Before undergoing the supracervical hysterectomy, a Pap smear test is carried out to check for other cervical abnormalities.

After the abdominal hysterectomy, woman does not necessarily experience any discomfort during sexual intercourse. Changes in sexual behavior rely on several factors like age of the woman, time and reason for surgery.