The word hysterectomy has it’s origin from the Greek ‘ hysteros ‘ , meaning uterus , and ‘ ectomy ‘ meaning removal . Hysterectomy therefore refers to the surgical removal of the uterus (womb) . Such patients, naturally , do not have menstrual periods and cannot bear children. Today , hysterectomy is the commonest major gynaecological operation performed on women. About 600,000 hysterectomies are performed every year in USA . The statistics for India are not known but are likely to be more staggering because of the vast population .
