Consumer's attitude to hysterectomy. The experience of 678 women

A total of 678 women were interviewed about symptoms before as well as advantages and disadvantages after abdominal hysterectomy. Medical complications, side effects, days of hospitalization and some possible differences between supravaginal hysterectomy (SVH) and total hysterectomy (TH) were also investigated. TH had been performed in 79% and SVH in 21% of the women. Leiomyoma was the most frequent diagnosis (79%). Heavy menstrual bleeding and dysmenorrhea were the dominant symptoms before surgery. After the operation, 71% of the women had no subjective gynecological complaints. Relief from heavy bleeding and pain was considered the major advantage and as many as 29% of the women experienced no disadvantage at all with the operation. Regarding sexual life, 39% experienced intercourse as much improved or better and 40% as unchanged. An intraabdominal abscess was more often found postoperatively in patients operated with TH than with SVH but with this exception no objective finding favoured one method more than the other. When new, alternative treatments such as endometrial ablation and GnRH analogues are introduced and promoted they should be subjected to careful evaluation and compared with the therapeutic efficacy of hysterectomy.