The Essential Guide to Hysterectomy
 Dr.
Streicher's book, The
Essential Guide to Hysterectomy
A Gynecologist's Advice on Your Choices Before, During and
After Surgery-Including Alternatives to Hysterectomy,
was released October 2004 and is available at all major
bookstores including Barbara's Bookstores, Borders, Barnes
and Noble, and Amazon.com.
Dr. Streicher, a recognized expert in new hysterectomy
techniques and alternatives to hysterectomy is frequently
asked what prompted her to write this guide.
She states,
"Performing hysterectomies for twenty years has given
me a unique perspective regarding its impact on women’s
lives. What has really influenced my views, however,
is twenty years of talking to women before and after
their surgery. One thing is consistent. The more information
a women has prior to surgery, the better the choices
she will make, and the better her long term outcome will
be.
I decided to write this
book after I came to the realization that there is just
too much information to cover during the course of a
typical pre-operative consultation. I often meet with
patients who are scheduled to have a hysterectomy and in
thirty minutes try to discuss possible removal of the
ovaries, removal of the cervix, anesthesia options, post-
op hormone replacement, and potential complications. It
is frustrating to me and my patient to cover such huge
amounts of complicated information in such a short period
of time. Many things are superficially discussed…or the
thirty-minute consultation turns into a ninety-minute
marathon with my patient furiously scribbling notes and
me talking in fast forward.
My decision to write this
book also stemmed from the fact that there were no books
on the subject that I could comfortably recommend. My
patients consistently express frustration at the lack of
information found in books directed to the general public
and frequently turn to medical books (that are difficult
to understand) for more in depth information. The purpose
of this book is to bridge that gap. In addition, most
books on hysterectomy are extremely one sided,
often to the extreme. The message is “never have a
hysterectomy under any circumstances, your life will be
ruined and death would be better” or “you’re having
a hysterectomy…here’s what to bring to the
hospital!”
While many hysterectomies are appropriate
and beneficial, there are still women who have unnecessary
surgery or are not offered less invasive alternatives.
We’ve come a long way since I did my first
hysterectomy 20 years ago and my fellow residents and I
laughed at the notion that a hysterectomy could be done
through a one-inch laparoscopic incision. Little did I
know that one-day I would perform most of my
hysterectomies using that technique. Surgical technology
has exploded in the last five years and there is no single
comprehensive source women can turn to learn about uterus
sparing options such as such as thermal ablation, uterine
artery embolization, or new surgical innovations such as
laparoscopic outpatient hysterectomy.
For the woman who is
advised to have a hysterectomy, this book will serve as a
comprehensive guide. There are many choices that women
should be aware of and discuss with their surgeon prior to
the procedure. Topics not typically covered in other books
available about hysterectomy are addressed such as
pregnancy after hysterectomy, prophylactic surgery for
women genetically at risk for gynecologic cancers, plastic
surgery at the time of hysterectomy, sex, and exercise
after surgery.
The style of this book is
fairly informal. The information I give is exactly what
I would tell a patient who is considering hysterectomy.
The way I tell it is as if you were sitting across
from me and we were having a conversation. The following
pages present options and alternatives in a balanced,
objective and scientific manner so that women looking
for alternatives won’t feel that they are being sold a procedure they are
trying to avoid, and women who desire a hysterectomy will
know what to expect. It is time to take the” hysteria”
out of hysterectomy and empower women, with accurate,
unbiased information in order to make appropriate health
related choices that affect them and their families." |
