Is There Ever A Good Time To Get A Hysterectomy? Here’s Why You Should Weigh Your Options

If you’ve ever been to the OBGYN office, you’ve probably felt a tinge of uncertainty, fear, and anxiety when speaking about your uterus with a medical professional.

Board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist Kameelah Phillips, MD, has been working for over a decade to educate and empower women, especially women of color, to advocate for their reproductive rights, and to also relieve your anxiety.

Her upcoming book, The Empowered Hysterectomy: Your Complete Handbook to Diagnosis, Decision, and Treatment, launching on May 13, 2025, is the antidote to the lack of medically sound resources and the overwhelming amount of misinformation surrounding this procedure. A shocking number of hysterectomies are performed every year in the United States, and approximately 20 million women ranging in age from 18 to 70 have had this procedure. Yet, few comprehensive, up-to-date, accessible resources provide a complete view of the hysterectomy. This leaves those considering surgery to fend for themselves to gain a clear understanding of the process. 

Hearing the words “you need a hysterectomy” can be particularly jarring for many women. Even if your life has been plagued by pain, heavy bleeding, fibroids, or endometriosis, among a range of other uterine issues, this statement is still a tough pill to swallow for many women.

Here’s where Phillips comes in. In her book, Phillips provides essential guidance on navigating doctor-patient conversations about treatment options for common conditions that can lead to a hysterectomy, and prepares women to come to the table informed and prepared to make decisions about their bodies. She also takes the reader through a comprehensive roadmap of the hysterectomy, by discussing the surgical procedure, preparation, recovery, and its origins. It’s important to note that this is not a guide to push readers toward surgery, but rather to equip them with the knowledge they need to make informed choices about their health.

“Seven or so years ago, someone asked me to write a book, and I have to say that at that time, I didn’t feel like I was qualified enough, or like I didn’t have enough experience or a voice to write any authoritative book. And I look back on that, and I kind of chuckle. This came at a time in my life where I was finding my voice and seeing the type of patient that was gravitating toward me, clearly a Black woman, and I hope subtly, people see that the book is written for us,” she says to ESSENCE.

Within her practice in New York City, she’s noticed patients opting for hysterectomies because they had fibroids or other uterine issues. “I was meeting people who, at 21, were being told to have a hysterectomy. Their doctors said to them, ‘Oh, you have fibroids. Do you want to deal with this for your whole life? You should just take it out.’ I was meeting people who, at 36, were at the prime of their reproductive age, who were trying to get pregnant, being told that their uterus is no good. ‘This isn’t going to work for you. Why don’t you just take it out?’ And I just knew there were other options,” she stated.

Unfortunately, society and medicine have conditioned women to believe that pain and heavy bleeding are just things they have to suffer through and live with. Still, there are ways to treat these symptoms of often larger reproductive health issues. Phillips lists them within her book. 

Before considering a hysterectomy, there are other ways to treat symptoms, including but not limited to:

Nonhormonal medications, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and naproxen to manage pain, and antifibrinolytics, particularly tranexamic acid (TXA) to manage heavy bleeding.

Hormonal medications; different types of birth control, progestin-only pills, which are used to manage conditions like endometriosis, an etonogestrel implant (also known as Nexplanon or the “arm implant”), IUDs and more.

Holistic approaches include maintaining an anti-inflammatory diet (cutting down on sugar and carbs and adding plants to your diet or maintaining a plant-based diet), regular exercise, getting enough sleep, and lowering chronic stress through mind-body practices.

Myomectomy: Surgical removal of fibroids from within the uterus. Several surgical approaches: open/abdominal, laparoscopic, and robotic.

Fibroids are a common pain point for many Black women. It’s also by far the most common pelvic complaint in reproductive-age women and the number one reason for hysterectomy in the United States. Studies estimate that 5 to 80 percent of women have fibroids—a staggering range. Studies show one in four Black women will be diagnosed with fibroids by the age of twenty-five, and this number skyrockets to 80 percent by age fifty.

“I hear stories all of the time of women being told that their fibroids are small and not to worry about them. ‘Ok, don’t bother them and then when you show up next year, or in two years, and the ones that are a dime turn into the size of a grapefruit, you will wonder why that happened’ that’s why I wrote the book, because we are being sent so many mixed messages. Unfortunately, my daughter always calls me a conspiracy theorist, but nobody is checking for Black women’s reproductive health. Black doctors can’t see every black patient, right? So we need to find another way to get people like us of color. Most of us are delaying our fertility. Many may think they have a doctor who’s looking out for them. But came to find out there were other options outside of hysterectomy,” she says.

Phillips notes that her book outlines all the options regarding ureteral surgeries. “I want people to understand their options. Here are the clinical scenarios. Play this out to see what fits best for you, and if a hysterectomy is best for you, move forward with that,” she says. “I encourage people to take the time that they need to make decisions and not feel like everything has to be so rushed again, unless we’re talking about cancer. You have time to process information, digest it, and return.”

Phillips continues, “I encourage patients always to write things down, both in the office and in the hospital setting, so you don’t get sidetracked from what your ultimate learning objectives or health objectives are, because at the end of the day, we’re going to just move on to the next patient, right? But this is the rest of your life, and that is nonnegotiable. That is how you take back your power and do it with concrete steps so you can make good decisions.”