Uncertain about type of surgery I will have

I wish I knew what was going to happen to me. I had my pre-op appointment on 13 August where a group of us ladies had the procedure explained and had a look around the hospital ward. The one question that the nurse couldn't answer was whether my consultant would be removing my cervix or not. The last time I saw him I said that I wanted to keep my ovaries but I didn't even know about the cervix issue until I read about it on this site. The nurse said that I should ask the consultant when I see him on the day of my operation - do you think I should phone him and ask what he generally does beforehand so that I know? The other thing is that I also don't know what type of surgery I'm having yet. They are hoping to do a TVH which may need to be converted to a TAH as I have an enlarged uterus and have never had children. I won't know the answer to that one until I come round after surgery.

I have had severe dysplasia (stage 4) in 1998, so that was the reason why the doc suggested me getting my cervix out. If you have had any problems with pap smears that would be something def. worth considering.

The current plan is for me to keep my cervix, but wouldn't you know it, I have a painful cyst on it right now! This has happened before, so I'll definitely discuss with DR at my pre-op appointment tomorrow afternoon.

I'm having my cervix removed for a number of reasons
1. I've had sex where it feels like my dh is "hitting a wall" (tmi-sorry)and has caused pain & spotting
2. I've had a number of "inconclusive" Pap smears - not cancerous but still needed to be redone
3. I was told that the uterus & therefore the endometrium might not be completely removed if the cervix is left and could still give me problems later
4. I was also told that the removal of the cervix later (stump) can be a difficult procedure and of course means another surgery

It is an individual decision for sure, and all these decisions we have to make have pros & cons. Just thought I'd share why I made this choice.

Hello Lolls

I'm sorry that you have so many unanswered questions about your surgery - I didn't even think about asking if my cervix would be removed or not & only realised that I didn't know if mine had been removed or not when I read posts on this site AFTER I'd had my TAH! I believe that in the uk, surgeons generally remove the cervix (it wasn't even mentioned to me by the registrar or at the pre-op appointement though).

I had to wait till my post-op check up to ask if mine had been removed & was told it had been - at least it means no more smear tests thank goodness (I hated them). Like you, I wanted to keep my ovaries if at all possible but half expected that they would be removed -luckily they were healthy & not stressed by the fibroids so I did keep them.

Anyway, good luck with your op & let us know how you get on - by the way there are many of us posting on the uk thread here, so you will find lots of advice & support on all kinds of subjects, so ask as many questions as you need to. Bye for now

Helen x