Gynecologic Surgery

When surgery is the best treatment option for your gynecologic condition, feel confident a VHC gynecologic surgeon will be by your side every step of the way.

Who Needs Gynecologic Surgery?

Choose a skilled gynecologic surgeon at VHC Health to help treat:

• Gynecologic cancers
• Heavy periods or bleeding
• Infertility
• Pelvic organ prolapse
• Uterine fibroids

Learn What to Expect

Get help preparing for surgery, understanding what to expect on the day of surgery and planning for recovery and life after your procedure. Being well-informed helps ease any worries you might have about your surgical experience.

Minimally Invasive Procedures

Your surgeon will use minimally invasive techniques whenever possible. This approach uses laparoscopic or robotic technology to perform your surgery. These procedures use tiny incisions and reduce pain, scarring and recovery time for you.

During robotic surgery, your surgeon controls a robot's "arms," which can move and bend more precisely than human hands. For more information and/or to schedule an appointment, please visit VHC Health's Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery page.

Hysterectomy

A hysterectomy surgically removes the uterus. Your doctor will try conservative treatments first, but you may need surgery if those don’t control or treat your condition.

Types of Hysterectomies

Depending on your diagnosis, you may need:

• Total hysterectomy – Removes the uterus and cervix
• Subtotal or partial hysterectomy – Removes the uterus but leaves your cervix in place to reduce the chance of pelvic support problems and urinary incontinence later in life
• Radical hysterectomy – Removes the uterus, cervix and some pelvic lymph nodes to treat some kinds of cancer

Your gynecologist can also remove the ovaries and fallopian tubes at the same time as a hysterectomy if needed.

Hysterectomy Surgical Techniques

Talk to your gynecologic surgeon about which of the following techniques they will use to remove your uterus:

• Abdominal hysterectomy (open, traditional approach) – Removes the uterus and cervix through an abdominal incision 4 to 6 inches long while you’re under general anesthesia (makes you sleep) or regional anesthesia (numbs your lower body). This approach requires a hospital stay of three to six days and a recovery period of up to six weeks. Your doctor may recommend this approach if you have:
  • Large fibroids that do not respond to drug therapy or would be difficult to remove vaginally or laparoscopically
  • Severe endometriosis
  • Pelvic inflammatory disease
• Vaginal hysterectomy – Removes the uterus and cervix through an incision deep in the vagina under general or regional anesthesia to treat uterine-vaginal prolapse and early cervical or uterine cancer. Vaginal hysterectomy is a minimally invasive technique offering less visible scarring, a shorter hospital stay of one to three days and less recovery time (four weeks) than an abdominal hysterectomy.
• Laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy (minimally invasive) – Removes the uterus and cervix using small abdominal and vaginal incisions, a laparoscope (a thin, lighted telescope) and a tiny camera. Your hospital stay and recovery time are like a vaginal hysterectomy.
• Laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy (robotic-assisted) – Removes the uterus by inserting a laparoscope and small surgical instruments through tiny navel and abdomen incisions. Your surgeon separates the uterus from the cervix and removes it through one incision.