Hysterectomies are the most common surgery performed in the United States, far more than in any other country. In the past, few options were available or offered to women considering hysterectomy, and it has become a political issue. Any woman considering a hysterectomy should carefully weigh its pros and cons.
Instructions
Pros
1. Experience the peace of mind that results from never having to worry about becoming pregnant again.
2. Reduce greatly your risks of getting uterine, cervical or ovarian cancer. For women who have a family predisposition to these cancers, a hysterectomy can end constant this disease.
3. Get relief from medical problems that, while not life-threatening, can be miserable to endure such as endometriosis, uterine fibroids and exceptionally heavy periods. A hysterectomy can save you from years of trying less radical, but also less effective treatments.
4. Improve your sex life by being free of the pain often associated with the medical problems cured through hysterectomy.
Cons
5. Consider that you will never be able to have children again. For women who haven't yet reached menopause, the loss of the ability to may make them feel as if they're no longer a "real" woman.
6. Allow that you may experience a loss of sexual desire or difficulty reaching orgasm. Although hormone treatments may help with desire, uterine contractions play a role in orgasm, and its absence cannot be compensated for.
7. Worry about urinary incontinence, which may happen when nerves serving the bladder are accidentally damaged during a hysterectomy. You may regain some control by doing Kegel exercises or by having a subtotal hysterectomy, which leaves the cervix in place.
8. Weigh the risks of estrogen replacement therapy (ERT), which will be needed to prevent osteoporosis or heart disease, but which may contribute to other health problems as well as a feeling of not being "quite right." Women who refuse ERT will enter menopause.
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