has anyone gone in for VH but ended up AH??

I am anxious about what could throw a VH into an AH surgery.

Sabrina Plano TX
PreOp 7/20
VH + bladder reinforcement 7/27

One thing that would cause a conversion from a VH to an AH would be if it turns out not to be feasible to bring the uterus out through the vagina. I asked my doctor initially about a VH. She said that since I've never given birth vaginally and I had a medium size fibroid, the odds weren't good for that. She recommended an LAVH as more likely to be successful but said she might still have to convert to a TAH. Also I took Zoladex to shrink the fibroid. When she found out that it would be possible for me to have a total laparoscopic hysterectomy, she recommended that as the best procedure for me. I'm excited that I'm going to be able to have that.

If anything comes up during a TVH that requires the doctor to be able to see more or to deal with adhesions, he or she will probably have to convert to a TAH. That's less likely to happen with an LAVH because the laparoscope allows him or her to see a lot more and to get at adhesions more easily.

Sometimes ovaries can't be found during a TVH. If it's important to remove them, that would be a reason to do an abdominal approach. That's not likely to be a problem with an LAVH.

It's probably a good idea to talk more about this with your doctor when you have your pre-op. Good luck with your surgery!

Frances

I went in thinking I was having a tvh and ended up with a tah. Doctor said that she was unable to pull my uterus down. She tried and gave up after 10 minutes of yanking! OUCH! Lucky I didn't know what was going on down there!! LOL I also ended up with a nicked bladder and damaged ureter that needed repairs as well. My Doc thought I would be a good candidate for a tvh because I had 3 vaginal births, but found that my muscles would not loosen up enough (her words) for her to do her work in there. We had discussed this possibility prior to surgery, so it wasn't a horrible surprise to wake up with a bikini incision. Which, by the way, is 4.5 inches long and almost invisible now. Good luck with your surgery. Hope it all works out the way you plan.

Mar

Hi Sabrina,

You might ask your Dr. what his ~conversion~ rate is from a vaginal to an abdominal hyst. Generally, Drs can give it in a % or in the number of surgeries performed in the last couple of years.

Best wishes,

Mary

This is something that is on my mind at the moment. My doctor plans to do a TVH but as I have an enlarged uterus because of suspected Adenomyosis and have never had children, I have been warned that I may have to have a TAH. Guess I won't know until I wake up after surgery!