Health Tools

Health Tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health.

	Decision Points focus on key medical care decisions that are important to many health problems.
	Hysterectomy and Oophorectomy: Should I Use Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT)?
	Hysterectomy: Should I Also Have My Ovaries Removed?

Why It Is Done

In most cases, hysterectomy is an elective surgery used to treat noncancerous female reproductive system (gynecologic) conditions that haven't improved with medical treatment. For women who have no plans for pregnancy and have considered and tried other treatment options without success, a hysterectomy may be a reasonable treatment choice.

Hysterectomy is also a potentially lifesaving measure when used to stop severe bleeding after childbirth or to remove cervical cancer or endometrial (uterine) cancer.

Reasons for hysterectomy include:

• Severe bleeding after childbirth.
• Heavy menstrual bleeding.
• Uterine fibroids.
• Uterine prolapse.
• Endometriosis and adenomyosis.
• Chronic pelvic pain (only when caused by a diagnosed condition that can be corrected with hysterectomy).
• Cancer of the cervix, uterus, or ovaries.