Hysterectomy 

You should always fully discuss the procedure and any concerns with a gynaecologist before having a hysterectomy, as there may be other alternatives to surgery.

Risks come from the general anaesthetic, bleeding and infection control, but every hospital minimises these risk for all surgery.

There are some more specific risks with a hysterectomy, which include injury to nearby organs, such as the bladder and blood vessels, injury to the bowel and the possibility of painful intercourse after surgery.

Rare risks of hysterectomy:

• Damage to the bladder or ureters (tubes that drain urine from the kidney for storage in the bladder) happens in around one in 150 women (1 PDF)
• Damage to the bowel is rarer with one in 2,500 women affected (risk of damage to surrounding organs is higher in women who have had previous operations (Caesarean section and endometrosis) and can happen to one in 500 affected women (1 PDF)
• Excessive bleeding can occur in about one in 50 women during the operation, while one in 75 women will have bleeding after the operation, which may result in another operation (1 PDF)
• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) can happen during any operation and can occur in hysterectomy in one in every 250 women (1 PDF)
• Infection may develop inside the abdomen and can affect one in 500 women (1 PDF)

Infolinks:
The Hysterectomy Association
Cancer Help (Cancer Research UK)
Cancer Backup
Endometriosis UK

References:
1) Oxford Radcliffe NHS Trust
Abdominal Hysterectomy (PDF)
Accessed Apr 27 2009
Version 2 Nov 2008
Update in Nov 2010