HYSTERECTOMY – FREQUENCY IN WOMEN
These cause the endometrium to build up to form a soft, thick, spongy tissue in which the fertilised ovum can implant and develop into a child.
When, as in most menstrual cycles, conception doesn’t occur, this thick layer of tissue is shed with some bleeding.
When the womb is removed, a woman no longer has periods nor can she become pregnant.
In the past, a partial hysterectomy was common. This removed the body of the womb but left the cervix in place.
This operation is rarely done now because it leaves the cervix and leaves the woman still vulnerable to develop cancer of the cervix. This cancer is second only to cancer of the breast in frequency in women.
The operation can be carried out through a cut made in the abdomen or by operating through the vagina, so there is no outside cut.
Which approach is used depends on what is wrong with the womb, how large it is and what other procedures are carried out at the same time. It is rarely due to the whim of the surgeon.
*131/71/1*
