Abdominal Hysterectomy: What You Need To Know

When a woman is to undergo a hysterectomy, she and her doctor will discuss the three ways to do the procedure. They'll discuss the risks and complications that are associated with each one. What three ways is a hysterectomy done? There is: the vaginal hysterectomy, abdominal hysterectomy and laparscopic hysterectomy.

If you and your doctor choose to do an abdominal hysterectomy for your procedure, there are some things you should know about it. First, know that you are not alone in this procedure as about 75 percent of the United States hysterectomies performed is done in this way.

How does an abdominal surgery begin? Your surgeon will make a four to six-inch cut one of two ways:

The first way the doctor may make an incision is horizontally across the public hair from one hipbone to the other hipbone.

The second way the doctor may make the cut is vertically from the woman's navel to her pubic bone.

Which way is better? If you want a scar that's not very visible, your doctor will perform the horizontal abdominal hysterectomy. However, the vertical hysterectomy allows the surgeon to get a good view of the stomach cavity.

During the surgery, all blood vessels, fallopian tubes and ligaments will be cut from your uterus and removed. If you must have a total hysterectomy, the physician will remove the uterus and cervix.

With a total hysterectomy, your doctor may opt for either the vertical or horizontal scar. In this instance, the scar type will depend on why the procedure if occurring and how big of an area the surgery is to be treated.

What diseases would be a cause for a total abdominal hysterectomy? It's usually done for ovarian and uterine cancer, extremely large uterine fibroids and endometriosis. However, there are other cases in which a doctor will perform a total abdominal hysterectomy.

For what kinds of cases would your doctor consider performing a total abdominal hysterectomy? Pelvic pain that's constant and continuous and has been identified as the cause for the woman's pain is a good reason. Typically, non-surgical treatments will be tried before surgery is opted.

When is a total abdominal hysterectomy not performed? It's typically not performed for women who can still bear children unless there is a serious matter such as cancer. This is usually done because a hysterectomy keeps a woman from being able to have children later on.

A doctor who performs a total abdominal hysterectomy can view the entire stomach and pelvis region. This is helpful when a woman has been diagnosed with cancer or has growths caused by an unknown source.

How long does a total abdominal hysterectomy procedure last? Barring complications, surgery usually lasts anywhere from one to three hours. Since this is an in-patient procedure, hospital stays are up to five days.

What are the advantages of having a total abdominal hysterectomy?

• Uterine removal due to numerous problems
• Doctor can see better and has much more room to operate in.

It should be noted that the abdominal hysterectomy incision will be more painful than other hysterectomy procedures as well as a longer recovery period.