Alternative treatments to hysterectomy
If hysterectomy is not the only treatment available to you, be sure to consider and try other treatments for your condition. These may include:
- Measures to ease pressure on pelvic muscles, such as:
- Losing weight.
- Avoiding constipation.
- Emptying your bladder often.
- Stopping smoking.
- Avoiding substances, such as caffeine or alcohol, that increase the risk of urinary leakage.
- Kegel exercises, to increase pelvic muscle strength.
- A vaginal pessary, a device used to hold the lower pelvic organs (uterus, bladder, and rectum) in place.
- Medicines to reduce heavy menstrual bleeding, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), progestin, or estrogen-progestin birth control pills. For more information, see the topic Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding.
- A progestin (levonorgestrel) IUD to reduce heavy menstrual bleeding. For more information, see the Medications section of the topic Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding.
- Hormone medicines for endometriosis.
- Other surgeries to correct problems affecting the uterus, including:
- Endometrial ablation.
- Hysteroscopy to remove uterine fibroids or polyps.
- Myomectomy.
- Uterine fibroid embolization, a procedure used to block blood flow to a fibroid.
- Laparoscopy for pelvic pain.
| Author: | Sandy Jocoy, RN | Last Updated: August 12, 2008 |
| Medical Review: | Sarah Marshall, MD - Family Medicine Kirtly Jones, MD - Obstetrics and Gynecology | |
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