Hysterectomy Surgery is when the uterus (womb) is removed and it may or may not include the removal of the fallopian tubes also as well as one or both of the ovaries. Whilst just the removal of a tube and ovary is known as a salpingo-oophorectomy, the removal of both tubes and ovaries is called bi-lateral salpingo-oophorectomies (BSO).

Also there are different types of hysterectomy surgery that can take and this all depends on which of the organs are removed.

1. Total Hysterectomy. This is the most common of these surgical operations and involves the removal of the uterus and cervix (neck of the womb).
2. Sub-Total Hysterectomy. This is when the body of the uterus is removed but the cervix is not.
3. Radical Hysterectomy. This type of surgery involves removal of the uterus, cervix and small portion of the woman's upper vagina along with some soft tissue from within the pelvis. Such surgery is only performed when the patient is suffering from cancer of the cervix and the gynecologist has received special training for this type of operation.

It has been found that up to 1 in 5 women will need to undergo a hysterectomy during their life time and it is therefore a relatively common operation, but is nearly always necessary when a women has been diagnosed with cancer of the cervix or uterus. Hysterectomies will also be recommended to those women who have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

But in fact most hysterectomies will be performed not because a woman is suffering from cancer but because they are suffering from severe bleeding or pain from the uterus and which is making their lives very difficult. These type of hysterectomy operations are only carried out on women who do not wish to have children in the future.

Women who suffer from fibroids, endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease or heavy periods can choose to have a hysterectomy, whilst women who have a prolapse of the uterus will have an hysterectomy performed on them as part of the prolapse repair operation.

Any woman undergoing a hysterectomy surgery will be put fully to sleep using general anesthesia. As well as their being different types of hysterectomies a woman can have there are different ways in which the surgery can be performed.

1. Abdominal Hysterectomy. This is the most common of the operation and is performed through a six inch scar cut across the woman's lower abdomen.
2. Vaginal Hysterectomy. This is performed through the vagina and thus leaves the patient with no visible scars that an operation has taken place.
3. Laparoscopically assisted Vaginal Hysterectomy (LAVH). This is where the surgeon uses keyhole surgery in combination with surgery through the vagina in order to complete the operation. Again this type of surgery leaves the patient with no visible scars of an operation being carried out.