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- $Title{Hysterectomy}
-
- A Medical Times Patient Education Chart
- (C) Romaine Pierson Publishers, Inc.
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Hysterectomy
-
- Hysterectomy means the removal of the uterus. The ovaries and fallopian tubes
- may be removed at the time a hysterectomy is performed, but this is not always
- the case. If one or both of the ovaries are left in place, the change of life
- will not necessarily follow the operation. Menstruation, however, will cease
- with the removal of the uterus.
- The operation is usually performed through a four to six inch incision in
- the lower abdomen. In some cases, however, the uterus can be removed through
- the vagina. The surgery itself takes about an hour or two to perform, and is
- generally done under spinal or general anesthesia. Most patients can get out
- of bed the day after surgery and can leave the hospital in about five to ten
- days.
- The hysterectomy will have no effect on the patient's sexual urges or
- activity, and she may resume sexual relations in six weeks. She can resume
- all of her normal activities in about ten weeks.
-