What is a hysterectomy?
A hysterectomy is a surgical procedure to remove a woman’s uterus (or womb). There are several types of hysterectomy:
• Total hysterectomy; removes the whole uterus and the cervix
• Subtotal (partial) hysterectomy; removes the main part of the uterus (uterine corpus) but leaves the cervix in place
• Non conservation hysterectomy (hysterectomy including bilateral adnexes); removes the uterus and the Fallopian tubes and both the ovaries (bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy)
•Conservation hysterectomy; removes the uterus but leaves the Fallopian tubes and both ovaries in place
Combinations of these different types are also possible. For example, a woman could undergo a subtotal conservation hysterectomy where the surgery removes the uterus but leaves intact the cervix and the ovaries.
