Overview
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:
- Severe, long-term (chronic) infections (pelvic inflammatory disease)
- Severe inflammation of the lining of the uterus (endometriosis)
- Tumors in the uterus
- Uterine fibroids, cancer of the endometrium
- Cancer of the cervix, cancer of the ovary
- Severe, long-term (chronic) vaginal bleeding
Review Date 1/10/2022
Updated by: John D. Jacobson, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.