TLH: Does it hurt more to lose cervix?

In the course of my obsessive reading I've found several places that implied that a TVH hurts more than a laparoscopic procedure because the cervix can be left in a SLH. I know that it is not "bandaid surgery" that doesn't hurt no matter how it is done, I'm just trying to understand. I also read that the vaginal cuff is more sore than other parts of the surgery, which makes sense as that is very tender tissue.

My cervix is going to be leaving (and since it has sometime recently developed a growth of some sort (dr. doesn't know this yet, I just found it)) I imagine it would be coming out even if it weren't already planned.

I'm just curious and I know it's doubly hard since you can hardly take your cervix out and then put it back in to test both conditions.

I think pain is a very individual thing. I had a TVH and didn't have much pain, and what I did have all felt like cramping or pulling. I never felt pain I felt came from a vaginal cuff. But I know I've read accounts from women who had LSH who report way more pain than I had. That tells me it's more the individual factors than cervix or no cervix. If you take your meds and don't overdo your pain can be under control no matter which procedure. But if you read different accounts of women who've all had the same procedure, you'd scratch your head in amazement in the different pain experiences. Try not to compare to much with other types, it won't really help ease your stress. Honestly, I had no sense of my cervix being gone, or pain I could connect to that. I took Aleve and had no pain. I was surprised how easy it all was, and I hope you have the same experience.

I had no idea my doc had taken my cervix until he told me when I was being checked over and discharged that afternoon. We hadn't even discussed it.
So I dunno if my pain would be any different if he had left it,but my pain isn't terrible and unmanagable anyway.
Good luck to you!

I had no pain where my cervix was removed. I had no bleeding anywhere, no discharge, nothing. I agree overall pain tends to be individual. I don't think you can tie it to having a cervix removed or not. It's not black and white like that.

For me, removing the cervix meant no more monthly bleeding, if the cervix is left, one can still get a light spotting period according to many ladies here. Since my hyster was for abnormal uterine bleeding, removing the cervix and uterus, ended the bleeding.

As to the pain, I agree, depends on your situation, and learning to manage your pain during the process and talking to your healthcare team and discussing your pain levels and strategies to manage any pain. Surgical pain, bowel pain and UTI pain are very different but all in the pelvic area.

Coming here to discuss any pain helps,
but most ladies here encourage others
to go to the good doctor
and find solutions.

At the same time, pre-op, express what works for you for pain and what does not.

Sometimes the best thing for my pain was ice, but some ladies liked heat, and some needed only OTC drugs, others had complicated surgeries that required pain management that lasted longer.

There are many phases to this process, talk to the sisters, your doctors, your DH, there are many helping hearts and hands.

I agree w/ the ladies above. I don't think the pain level is any different if the cervix stays or goes, mine went & really don't have any pain down there as mine is mostly all on the right side where everything came out of since I had the davinchi surgery.

I'm not sure what I asked is being taken the way I intended. I sometimes don't word things well when i'm tired and I was when I wrote this/am now. I am not interested in comparing types of surgeries for pain. I tortured patients through therapy sessions for many years and so I have a very good understanding of the mechanics of pain. And honestly because of the complications I had with anesthesia making my bipolar much worse to the point I am on SSdI that is my biggest worry. But nobody writes about that and it's not a good discussion because it was something that happened that usually doesn't and it's hard to imagine if you haven't had it happen to you.

I just read a webpage from a doctor's clinic stating that laparascopic supracervical was the way to go to avoid pain and was interested because that sounded overly specific for predicting or for basing what is done.

I have read on here in a few places women saying the healing of the vaginal cuff can be frustrating or painful.

I am glad to be getting rid of my cervix. My doctor felt there is a high chance I'd still bleed because I'm really sensitive to hormones. I've just read a good bit about this because it seems odd to change that anatomy. I have no reason it feels weird, it just does. This has led to an interest in vaginal cuffs and I've seen pictures of them at a few stages of healing. Somehow I feel more secure knowing what it looks like.

I also am trying to anticipate what I'll be able to do when. With my prior procedures I was allowed to jump back into whatever I wanted to do as soon as it was comfortable. This time I'm on 6 weeks of restrictions and I was just trying to figure out how much of a role the cervix played.


I'm sorry if this sounds snotty. I don't mean that. I am so tired with postop and hours of driving that I can't tell.

The hardest part was the backward ignorant comments average people made or the questions asked. I told my dental hygenist I would compare the pain to having your arm amputated, and so the first few days are hard but the shock of the hormones caused me sweats for the first few days as well.

So this is a process that combines pain and hormones and obscene comments all in one experience and then if you are lucky, you heal a better woman.

I say I survived quiting cigarettes and losing my mother, and so I can survive this.

Now, living without a cervix and a uterus seems small when so many sisters are dealing with gynecological cancers. I am grateful the surgery cured the benign problem of abnormal uterine bleeding that can be a symptom of greater issues.

Hyster Sisters helped teach me there are many kinds of pain. The loss of the cervix seemed to matter more to my husband than to me. I was "grey" according to my cousin, and I am not that color anymore.
The surgery improved my health, now I just have to convince health insurance companies that is true.

You will experience pain who never knew.
I lost half the blood in my body from an ecotopic pregnancy, this was not that pain.
I came here and read stories.

You will hear ignorant comments.
I did.
I came here and talked to other women.

You will feel alone.
I came here and learned I was not alone.

Good luck.
This surgery can improve your health, but good health is work, and you are not bad if you are sick for a while. Attention must be paid to women's health, and pain is the way our bodies communicate with us.

Removing the cervix was better for my health, but your health may be defined by different boundaries.

The sisters taught me to come here to ask questions and go to the doctor to pursue those questions. There will be many kinds of pain with this surgery and many questions. Some I never asked because I had a good doctor. Some questions only come up afterward, and some questions you wish the day would come when nobody would ask you.

Now, afterward, I can say the cervix was like internal lips that increased sexual pleasure and I miss it.

But my cervix and uterus were draining my energy, my problems were benign but they were a negative force in my life. Now, I actually have days where I feel good. I am 4 months out from surgery and not 100% but I feel like a human being again.

The sisters have taught me--
it is possible to be a woman without a cervix!
I can say the word vagina!

Good luck with your surgery.
Come here and ask as many questions as many times as you need to.

And then when you feel better,
help answer a new sister's questions,
help women
learn to be women.


Sorry for the long bit,
finally understand my self
by telling you.

I chose to keep my cervix....and I am very happy with that decision. I have had absolutley no bleeding or spotting since surgery took place. I felt great, never experienced the first bit of pain after surgery. I had fibroids, so the Dr really had to cut my cervix down so they couldnt grow back ont he cervix....but I definitley dont regret keeping it...no pain, no bleeding, sex is great!