Cervical Cancer and Hysterectomy—Laparoscopic Surgery

Hysterectomy is the surgical term for the removal of the uterus (womb). This results in the inability to become pregnant. The surgery may be done through the abdomen or the vagina.

This type of surgery can be:

• Partial or subtotal hysterectomy—removal of the uterus (without removing the cervix)
• Total, complete, or simple hysterectomy—removal of the uterus and cervix (the opening of the uterus leading to the vagina)
• Radical hysterectomy—removal of the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, upper part of the vagina, and the pelvic lymph nodes
• Salpingo-oophorectomy —removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes (may be combined with any of the above procedures)

You may have a hysterectomy if your uterus is causing health problems that cannot be treated by other means. One common reason for having a hysterectomy is to treat cervical cancer.

Explore your options before having a hysterectomy as it is a major surgical procedure that is difficult to undergo. It should be used after other treatments have proven ineffective, and/or the cancer has spread.

Read more details about Hysterectomy—Laparoscopic Surgery.