Cervix - Pros and Cons

After reading so many posts, I now realize that some women actually keep their cervix when they have their hysterectomy. I never even knew this was an option.

I asked about what would happen without a cervix at my appointment - assumed they wouldn't just leave me wide open and nothing about "saving" my cervix was even mentioned. My doc knows my feelings and will save everything he possibly can (ovaries and tubes) but isn't very hopeful about it. Said that even if he could save 1/2 of one ovary he would, and I do trust him, he's supposed to be the best of the best.

So what would the benefit of keeping the cervix be? What would be the downside? How did you make your decision?

Thanks for any insight you can provide... wish I had found this website sooner!

My doctor said there was no real evidence of benefit for keeping the cervix. So I read all I could find and together we decided that we would remove it with everything else. Also I have had a couple abnormal paps, so that also helped in making my decision.

I didn't keep my cervix (abnormal pap) and haven't missed it. I feel like I always did, just no more periods.

i wanted to keep everything that was healthy and kept my cervix and ovaries. do lots of reading..google cervix removal. once you read the pros and cons..you'll feel better about whatever decision you make. good luck!

Whether to keep the cervix or not is a very personal decision. Since I had fibroids, one of which was close to the cervix, and suspected adenomyosis, I was fine with having it removed. Remember, the cervix is not a seperate organ, but the bottom of the uterus. There is no exact line of where to seperate it so some uterine tissue remains. In my case, since it was removed, I don't have to worry about fibroids or any pain from the adenomyosis returning. So for me, having it removed was the right decision. I have had no issues with it's removal or my vaginal cuff.

There are a number of women who opt to keep theirs and I know they will be along to share their experience with you. You might find the Pre-Op Article, Keep Cervix? Hysterectomy Planning, found on the Pre-Op Page helpful in your research.

Best wishes!



Deb

Hi Tabfs,

I kept my cervix with my LSH. In my case I had normal pap smears for years and my cervix was sturdy.

There can be two schools of thinking on whether to keep the cervix or not. In pre-op, my Dr. told me that he thought the cervix helps with future pelvic support and with sex. Also, my Dr. told me that 3% or less of women get cervical cancer...so that also helped me with my decision to leave my cervix...since I felt that was good odds for me since my cervix was healthy

In the end...just do what is *best* for you. That is what is most important.

Best wishes~

Mary

My mother-in-law has suffered from an inoperable dropped bladder for many years following her hysterectomy surgery. Depends garments have been part of her daily life for over 20 years. I asked my gyn about preventing that. She stated that keeping the cervix gives the pelvic floor more strength and support so as not to have the problems my MIL had. I also considered keeping the quality of my sex life as much as possible by not removing anything absolutely necessary. Just my opinions and thoughts.

I had one surgeon who recommended keeping the cervix for structural support. The second one was leaning towards removing it, as he said recent studies have been published saying it makes no difference structurally.

I had my LSH with the second doctor. After some discussion, he agreed that keeping my cervix would mean a slightly shorter recovery time for me. Other than that factor, it would have been a coin-toss for me (so to speak).

Why remove something that is healthy and doesn't cause problems????

I had (early stage) cervical cancer, so keeping the cervix was out of the question.... but I asked my gyno oncologist if we could save the uterus... Unfortunately for me, that was also not an option.... and I've come to accept this. (Beats having cancer!)

I think it's ok to ask. You never know. I asked my surgeon, if he could "make it pretty" when it came to the incision/scar. He had initially wanted to use a vertical incision but since I asked decided to use a modified bikini cut. (BTW, it's healing nicely and already looks pretty good.)

Now, I'm wondering about your ovaries.... Why does your surgeon think they need to be removed? I would (and did) definitely keep them, if they are not diseased.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by ruqayya33 Now, I'm wondering about your ovaries.... Why does your surgeon think they need to be removed? I would (and did) definitely keep them, if they are not diseased.

I have both severe endo and polycystic ovaries. At one point I had to have emergency surgery because my ovaries were so large (about 10cm each). I'm also in premature ovarian failure. Not sure what that means about the health of my ovaries, but basically he's expecting to find a real mess on them. They have been fused to other things and separated many, many times. So basically, if he thinks there is anything salvagable to them, he'll keep them in. If they are too damaged/diseased, he's going to remove them and/or parts of them.

He has told me the goal is to keep them or as much of them as possible, so I'm hoping for the best. I figure though that they've given me so many problems that if they aren't functioning anyways and will only give me more problems, it doesn't really matter.
*fingers crossed*