Hysterectomies are done for a variety of reasons:

Fibroids

Abnormal Bleeding after hormone treatment

Cancer

Uterine Enlargement, and other reasons

There are different approaches to doing the surgery. The most common in America is the Abdominal Hysterectomy.

Abdominal Hysterectomy

Abdominal hysterectomy is a surgical procedure that removes your uterus through an incision in your lower abdomen. Your uterus — or womb — is where a baby grows if you’re pregnant. Sometimes a hysterectomy includes removal of one or both ovaries and fallopian tubes. Hysterectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures among women.

Hysterectomy can also be performed through an incision in the vagina (vaginal hysterectomy) or by a laparoscopic or robotic surgical approach — which uses laparoscopic instruments passed through small abdominal incisions. Abdominal hysterectomy may be recommended over other surgical approaches if you have a large uterus or if your doctor wants to check other pelvic organs for signs of disease.

Vaginal Hysterectomy

Vaginal hysterectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the uterus through the vagina. Vaginal hysterectomy involves a shorter time in the hospital, lower cost and faster recovery than does the most common alternative, abdominal hysterectomy. However, if your uterus is enlarged, vaginal hysterectomy may not be possible.

Any type of hysterectomy usually includes removal of the cervix as well as the uterus, often along with one or both ovaries and fallopian tubes (salpingo-oophorectomy). All these organs are located in your pelvis and are part of your reproductive system.

Laparoscopic Assisted Vaginal Hysterectomy

Laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) is a surgical procedure using a laparoscope to guide the removal of the uterus and/or Fallopian tubes and ovaries through the vagina (birth canal). (A different procedure, called a laparoscopic hysterectomy, is entirely performed using a laparoscope and other instruments inserted through tiny abdominal incisions, and the uterus, Fallopian tubes etc. are removed in tiny portions.)

Not all hysterectomies can or should be done by LAVH. In certain situations, a laparoscopic hysterectomy (see above) may be sufficient. In other cases, an abdominal hysterectomy or a vaginal hysterectomy (without laparoscopy) is indicated. The surgeon determines the appropriate procedure for each individual case based upon the reason for the hysterectomy and the medical history and condition of the patient.