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.