Hysterectomy
Hysterectomy (PDF, 153 KB)
FDA warns against power morcellators in treatment for uterine fibroids
If your doctor recommends a hysterectomy or myomectomy to treat uterine fibroids, ask your doctor if a power morcellator will be used. Power morcellators break uterine fibroids into small pieces to remove them more easily during a laproscopic surgery. The FDA warns health care providers against using laparoscopic power morcellators in surgery for uterine fibroids or gynecologic cancers. This is because uterine tissue may contain undiagnosed or hidden cancer. While breaking up the uterine tissue, power morcellators can spread an undiagnosed or hidden cancer to other parts of the body. This can make your chance for long-term survival, without cancer, much lower. Most uterine fibroids are not cancerous, but there is no way to know for sure until all of the fibroids are removed and tested.