How you prepare

As with any surgery, it’s normal to feel nervous about having a hysterectomy. Here’s what you can do to prepare:

• Gather information. Before the surgery, get all the information you need to feel confident about it. Ask your doctor and surgeon questions.
• Follow your doctor’s instructions about medication. Find out whether you should take your usual medications in the days before your hysterectomy. Be sure to tell your doctor about over-the-counter medications, dietary supplements or herbal preparations that you take.
• Discuss anesthesia. You might prefer general anesthesia, which makes you unconscious during surgery, but regional anesthesia — also called spinal block or epidural block — might be an option. During a vaginal hysterectomy, regional anesthesia will block the feelings in the lower half of your body. With general anesthesia, you’ll be asleep.
• Arrange for help. Although you’re likely to recover sooner after a vaginal hysterectomy than after an abdominal one, it still takes time. Ask someone to help you out at home for the first week or so.