Endometriosis, vaginal prolapse, cancer and abnormal bleeding are some of the causes behind a hysterectomy. But you must understand that a hysterectomy is often an elective procedure. There can be other treatments that you can explore before deciding to undergo a hysterectomy. It is therefore essential that you have a frank talk with your doctor on whether the hysterectomy is absolutely necessary during the hysterectomy diagnosis.

Endometriosis is just one of the causes for hysterectomy

Reasons for a Hysterectomy

Endometriosis:

Endometriosis is a medical condition when the cells lining the uterus begin to grow abnormally. They encroach onto other parts of the body like the ovaries, bowels, rectum and the pelvic lining. The causes are unknown and the symptoms of endometriosis include:

• Dull or painful camps before and during your periods
• Heavy bleeding
• Low back pain
• Pain during sexual intercourse

Vaginal Prolapse:

It is a condition when the uterus – and at times the rectum and urethra -slip out of their normal position and move into the vaginal canal. As per statistics, nearly 30 to 40 per cent of women suffer some degree of vaginal prolapse. It normally occurs in women who are over 40 years old. The symptoms include:

• A pressure in the vaginal area
• Formation of a lump in the region
• Frequent incidents of urinary infection
• Painful sexual intercourse

Uterus, Cervical or Ovarian Cancer: The symptoms of cancer include:

• Abnormal bleeding
• Pain in the lower pelvic area
• Difficulty in urinating
• Painful sexual intercourse
• Unusual or heavy vaginal discharge.

In the case of cervical cancer, the symptoms manifest themselves only after the cancer has become fairly widespread.

Abnormal Bleeding:

Abnormal bleeding may be caused by hormonal imbalance or due to fibroids. Pelvic inflammatory diseases as well as endometrial cancer can cause abnormal bleeding. Abnormal bleeding may refer to both excessive bleeding or too little bleeding. Normally, symptoms of abnormal bleeding would include:

• Bleeding between periods
• Bleeding during sexual intercourse
• When menstrual bleeding is heavier than normal or lasts of longer days than is usual

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID):

This is an infection that occurs and spreads in the female reproductive organs. It can be present in the cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries. It could be sexually transmitted. Abortions as well as inter uterine devices can also cause PID. The symptoms include:

• Severe pain
• Fever
• It can also be asymptomatic

There are thus several causes and symptoms that may lead your health care provide to recommend a hysterectomy. Before going in for the hysterectomy procedure do prepare yourself physically as well as emotionally. It is also important to understand the complications that can arise because of a hysterectomy.