Laparoscopic Hysterectomy

Minimally Invasive Surgery, Benefits, and Costs

A Laparoscopic Hysterectomy is a minimally invasive procedure used to remove the uterus. Instead of a large abdominal incision, the surgeon makes a few small cuts and inserts a tiny camera along with specialised instruments to perform the surgery. This advanced approach allows the surgeon to precisely remove the uterus while minimising trauma to surrounding tissues.

Patients who undergo a Laparoscopic Hysterectomy typically experience less pain, fewer scars, and a faster recovery compared to traditional open surgery. This procedure is often recommended for conditions such as fibroids, heavy menstrual bleeding, or certain cancers.

Who is a Candidate?

Women who require a hysterectomy for benign or early malignant gynaecological conditions, where a minimally invasive approach is appropriate.

Common indications:

• Symptomatic fibroids
• Endometriosis or adenomyosis
• Abnormal uterine bleeding not responsive to conservative treatment
• Early-stage endometrial cancer (selected patients)
• Patients unsuitable for vaginal hysterectomy (e.g. large uterus, limited vaginal access).

Recovery Timeline

This is likely to vary with provider.

• Hospital stay: 1–2 days (sometimes same-day discharge)
• Early recovery: Mobilisation within 12–24 hours; smaller incisions mean less pain than open surgery
• Return to light activities: 2–4 weeks
• Return to normal activities/work: 4–6 weeks (often earlier than abdominal route)
• Full recovery: Around 6 weeks.

Benefits

• Minimally invasive: smaller incisions, less pain, faster recovery than abdominal hysterectomy
• Shorter hospital stay and quicker return to normal activities
• Better visualisation of pelvic organs compared to vaginal or open approaches
• Can be performed even with moderate uterine enlargement or adhesions.

Risks

• General surgical risks: bleeding, infection, anaesthetic complications
• Injury to nearby organs: bowel, bladder, or ureters (slightly higher risk than vaginal approach due to laparoscopic instrumentation)
• Risk of conversion to open abdominal hysterectomy if complications arise
• Port-site complications (hernia, infection).

This is just an outline. Your specialist gynaecological surgeon will be able to talk to you about these issues in more detail and make sure that there is informed consent.

Laparoscopic hysterectomy combines the advantages of minimally invasive surgery with wide applicability, offering quicker recovery than abdominal hysterectomy and more flexibility than the vaginal route.