Roger Harms, M.D., Mayo Clinic specialist in obstetrics-gynecology

Hysterectomy is one of the most common operations performed in the United States, and one of its most common indications is to treat uterine fibroids. This is probably because it's effective and it's definitive. A patient who has had a hysterectomy need not worry about her fibroids regrowing, and she certainly doesn't have to worry about heavy blood loss or periods, which will no longer be happening. So the effectiveness is clear. And the age group in which we see patients complain of symptoms of fibroids is linked to when they have completed their family, and fertility is no longer a consideration. Although that's not the only consideration, it's certainly one of the major ones when faced with it because hysterectomy is the only therapy known to be completely effective in controlling the problem. So it is likely that hysterectomy will remain very popular for this common condition when treatment is necessary.

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