Hysterectomy Recovery Time for Different Types of Surgery

Many women undergo hysterectomy surgery each year and though each case in unique to the individual, all women face many of the same challenges as they go through the healing time. The recuperation process will include at least a brief period of time in the hospital following the surgery. There are different types of procedures, so the recovery time will depend not only on the patient but also on the type of surgery performed.

A Recovery after an abdominal hysterectomy often sees patients spending three days in the hospital following the procedure. Complete recovery will probably mean an additional six to eight weeks of home recovery. While recovering at home, a woman should be resting, which means no housework and there should be no lifting for the first two weeks upon returning home.

Two Weeks after the surgery, walking should have been implemented as part of a woman’s routine, but under no circumstances should she do any heavy lifting at this point. After six weeks, most women are able to get back to their before surgery routines. At this point it is also safe to resume sexual activities.

A recovery following a vaginal or laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy is generally not nearly as prolonged because this kind of surgery is less invasive. The recovery from this procedure can be as short as two weeks. Again, walking is encouraged but heavy lifting is prohibited.

A recovery following a laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy can be completed for some women in as short a time as six days.

With all hysterectomy recovery, it’s important to remember that walking is generally good, lifting is out of the question and rest is precisely what the doctor ordered. Make sure to take it easy and give your body all the time it needs to completely heal. Once you feel that your body is about to return to its normal state, it’s important to add physical activities in your schedule slowly.