Medical Encyclopedia
Hysterectomy - series: Indications
A hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus, resulting in the inability to become pregnant (sterility). May be done through the abdomen or the vagina.
Hysterectomy may be recommended for:
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severe, long-term (chronic) infections (pelvic inflammatory disease)
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severe inflammation of the lining of the uterus (endometriosis)
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tumors in the uterus
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uterine fibroids, cancer of the endometrium
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cancer of the cervix, cancer of the ovary
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severe, long-term (chronic) vaginal bleeding
Update Date: 8/31/2007
Updated by: Harvey Simon, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital.
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