The Different Types of Hysterectomies
There are a couple of different kinds of hysterectomies and
they're commonly confused:
First is a total hysterectomy where they take both the uterus
and the cervix. Second is a subtotal or supracervical, which
leaves the cervix in place.
Now, doctors seem keen to take out other stuff while they're in
there. Things like the ovaries and appendix. This is something I
just can't fathom. There is a very strong history of doctors
being told to "first do no harm." To regard a healthy gland such
as the ovaries as something to be discarded in an otherwise
healthy woman is just malicious.
I'm not sure where doctors got it into their head to remove
healthy ovaries. I've started looking around and there's really
no studies to back it up. Statistics say that there will be less
ovarian cancer, but that's about it. I mean, we could remove my
thyroid to get rid of my already low risk of getting thyroid
cancer and put me on thyroid hormones for the rest of my life,
but why would we? They don't remove a man's testicles when they
do prostate operations.
Why? What led them to believe that this was a good idea?
So, removing the uterus is a hysterectomy. The press gets this
confused a lot because doctors seem confused. They say that
hysterectomy causes this or that, but in reality it's removing
the ovaries in most cases.
Removing the ovaries is called either oophorectomy or
castration. That's right, removing the gonads in the either sex
is castration. I bet if you went to the doctor and he said he'd
like to castrate you while he's there in your abdomen you'd
decline his kind offer.
It's time for women to stop having to defend their ovaries -
when a woman goes to the doctor for a hysterectomy she's asked
if she wants her ovaries taken out, or a doctor checks that she
is, and if she doesn't say anything there they go.