A hysterectomy is an operation to remove a woman's uterus. A woman may have a hysterectomy for different reasons, including:
• Uterine fibroids that cause pain, bleeding, or other problems
• Uterine prolapse, which is a sliding of the uterus from its normal position into the vaginal canal
• Cancer of the uterus, cervix, or ovaries
• Endometriosis
• Abnormal vaginal bleeding
• Chronic pelvic pain
• Adenomyosis, or a thickening of the uterus
Hysterectomy for non cancerous reasons is usually considered only after all other treatment approaches have been tried without success.