Laparoscopic assistance for hysterectomy was first started in 1989 and was an attempt to improve the recovery rates for women who were undergoing hysterectomy. Since the initiation of LAVH this recovery has improved significantly. In 1990, after seeing the improvement in my patients recovery with LAVH, I thought we might do even better. We found that our patients recovered even faster and that the need to remove the cervix did not exist in the vast majority of patients. LSH involves only a laparoscopic procedure without any vaginal surgery which is probably the source of the improved outcomes.
Patients are able to resume intercourse in two weeks without pain.
They get to maintain the support supplied by the cervix for the vaginal vault. In addition, with LSH all of the vascular supply and nerves that run through the cervix to the vaginal vault remain intact. If you have problems that have you facing some of the choices mentioned above, be sure to ask your practitioner about all of these options. Ask about supracervical hysterectomy and if that might not be an alternative. In short, get all the information you can before you make such an important decision as this.