The Complete Guide To Hysterectomy

A guide to all the information you might want to know about hysterectomy, whether it is you that is having one, a friend, wife, mother or colleague. It has been updated and now contains all the information from The Hysterectomy Association website. With information on the various conditions that lead to a hysterectomy, how to avoid a hysterectomy by using alternative treatments, the different types of hysterectomy, possible side effects of the surgery, the menopause and hormone replacement therapy; it is a very comprehensive, yet easy read.

In this new, updated version of the groundbreaking book, gynecologist and leading women's health expert Dr. Lauren Streicher--who in a direct, clear, and often humorous way--reveals the following: What your doctor isn't telling you; robotic hysterectomy and why it is becoming so popular; new nonsurgical ways to control heavy bleeding; the latest on hormone therapy, including bioidentical hormones; how to decrease your risk of uterine or ovarian cancer without removing your uterus or ovaries; new methods for treating fibroids; and a comprehensive guide to websites and resources.

"Must reading for all women advised to have a hysterectomy and all women who have had one...[and] all physicians performing them."--R. Don Gambrell, Jr., M.D., Department of Physiology and Endocrinology, Medical College of Georgia

In this new, updated version of the groundbreaking book, gynecologist and leading women’s health expert Dr. Lauren Streicher—who in a direct, clear, and often humorous way—reveals the following: What your doctor isn’t telling you; robotic hysterectomy and why it is becoming so popular; new nonsurgical ways to control heavy bleeding; the latest on hormone therapy, including bioidentical hormones; how to decrease your risk of uterine or ovarian cancer without removing your uterus or ovaries; new methods for treating fibroids; and a comprehensive guide to websites and resources.

Providing the most reliable and up-to-date information on this very common and difficult disorder, Dr. Stewart helps women understand uterine fibroids and make the best possible choices about their care. You've called in sick today. Your back and legs hurt. Your abdomen is bloated and more than a little uncomfortable. You are having your period, and the bleeding is so heavy you can't even think about leaving the house. You have uterine fibroids. One in every four women see their lives affected by uterine fibroids, which can cause heavy bleeding, abdominal bloating, pain, and infertility. The symptoms can be mildly annoying or life altering in severity. Until recently, hysterectomy was the only way to cure fibroids, and each year more than 200,000 hysterectomies are performed in the United States to treat these noncancerous growths. But hysterectomy isn’t always the best solution. The procedure can be devastating for women who were planning to get pregnant, and it is a significant surgery for anyone. In this comprehensive and compassionate guide, Dr. Elizabeth A. Stewart helps women understand the treatment options now available. An internationally recognized expert on fibroids, Dr. Stewart describes all the available medical and surgical treatments as well as alternative and complementary therapies. In addition to hysterectomy, she explains uterine artery embolization (UAE), noninvasive focused ultrasound (FUS), and innovative hormone treatments. Simple diagrams and photographs illustrate the condition—and its treatment. Dr. Stewart encourages women with fibroids to learn as much as they can before choosing a treatment plan. Providing the most reliable and up-to-date information on this very common and difficult disorder, she helps women understand uterine fibroids and make the best possible choices about their care.

In recent years advances in laparoscopic technologies have led to renewed interest in the vaginal approach to hysterectomy, which has many proven benefits for patients. This volume, dedicated to explaining and promoting the vaginal route of hysterectomy, is written and edited by an international team of experts and provides a much-needed source of up-to-date information and instruction. Importantly, the authors caution that laparoscopic technology can provide a valuable source of assistance for the gynaecological surgeon in certain circumstances, though only in a percentage of cases. This book, beautifully illustrated with line drawings and full-colour photographs, contains step-by-step surgical techniques, enabling the surgeon to gain confidence and experience so that gradually more challenging operations can be managed successfully via the vaginal route. Acknowledged authorities from around the world take the reader through the indications and contra-indications for the vaginal approach, explain crucial preoperative assessment procedures, and offer an evidence-based elucidation of the 'why', 'when' and 'how' of vaginal hysterectomy. Specific topics considered here include: the nulliparous patient, uterine fiboids, debulking, the use of gonadtrophin-releasing hormone agonists, oophorectomy and prophylactic oophorectomy, adnexectomy for adnexal pathology, genital prolapse, the place of sacrospinous colpopexy, urethral sphincter incompetence, hormone replacement therapy, and the psychological and sexual outcomes of hysterectomy. In addition, the authors set forth the arguments for and against vaginal hysterectomy, abdominal hysterectomy, laparoscopic assistance, and transcervical resection of the endometrium. Combined with a full review of the potential complications, morbidity and mortality associated with the vaginal approach, this book provides the reader with a well-balanced, thorough and considered appraisal of vaginal hysterectomy. As the incidence of hysterectomy worldwide continues to rise, Vaginal Hysterectomy will be an indespensable reference for practising gynaecologists, surgeons, consultants and postgraduates.

Presents information on hysterectomies, discussing why they should be avoided and what alternatives exist, and offering a health plan for those who have undergone the operation.

Combining personal stories of women's surgical experiences with the most recent medical data, this book offers a unique exploration into the issues surrounding hysterectomy, ovary removal, and hormone replacement. This book provides much needed information to clarify the confusion around HRT since the WHI study was released in July 2002. Women do not need to suffer needlessly.