What is a hysterectomy, what’s the recovery time, why might I need one and why did Lena Dunham have one?
AROUND 15,000 women have hysterectomies in England every year.
You can't get pregnant after having the operation and there's a long recovery time - meaning it's not a decision to be taken lightly.
Here's what you need to know about the female surgical procedure.
What is a hysterectomy?
A hysterectomy is an operation to remove the womb, which marks the end of a woman's reproductive period.
After having the surgery, you will no longer be able to get pregnant - and your periods will stop.
There were around 30,500 hysterectomies carried out in England in 2012 and 2013, mostly for women in their 40s.
Why might I need a hysterectomy?
Hysterectomies are carried out to treat conditions that affect the female reproductive system.
These include heavy periods, long-term pelvic pain or non-cancerous tumours.
In some cases, women have hysterectomies to treat ovarian, uterine, fallopian tube or cervical cancer.
There are different types of operations - depending on whether the woman has her whole womb, cervix, ovaries, fallopian tube and/or cervix removed.
In a radical hysterectomy - the lymph glands, fatty tissue and part of the vagina are also removed.
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What is the recovery time for a hysterectomy?
Hysterectomies are major operations - and should only be considered when alternative, less invasive treatments have already been tried.
You may have to stay in hospital for up to five days after the operation, and it normally takes between six and eight weeks to fully recover.
During the recovery time, patients should not exercise or do any heavy lifting - including bags of shopping.
If your ovaries are removed during the operation, you will immediately go through 'surgical menopause' - and should be offered hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
If the ovaries aren't removed, this could be delayed for up to five years.
There is a small risk of complications after a hysterectomy - including heavy bleeding, infection, damage to the bladder or bowel, and a reaction to the general anaesthetic.
Which celebrities have had hysterectomies?
Real Housewives of Cheshire star Dawn Ward recently had a hysterectomy at the age of 43 - and admitted she was "terrified" ahead of the op.
Darren Day's wife Stephanie Dooley also went under the knife in early 2017, at the age of 48.
While Loose Women panellist Andrea McLean has spoken about the complications she experienced after a hysterectomy, which she had when she was 47.
The operation left her struggling to walk, and still unable to exercise two months on.
TOWIE star Lydia Bright's mum Debbie Douglas also underwent major surgery - to remove her womb, ovaries and give her a bladder lift.
And Liberty X singer and mum-of-two Michelle Heaton also opted for the op, as well as a mastectomy, at the age of 35 - after being diagnosed with the BRCA2 cancer gene.
Why did Lena Dunham have one?
Actress Lena Dunham, 31, revealed she’d had a full hysterectomy after suffering from endometriosis.
The actress revealed the she underwent the procedure aged 31 after undergoing numerous surgeries to try and treat endometriosis.
Despite having the surgery, she previously said she would still love to have children one day.
She said: “I may have felt choiceless before, but I know I have choices now.
"Soon I'll start exploring whether my ovaries, which remain someplace inside me in that vast cavern of organs and scar tissue, have eggs.
“Adoption is a thrilling truth I'll pursue with all my might."
And nine months after her op, Lena posted a moving statement to Instagram.
Uploading three naked photos, she wrote: “Today is National Leathercraft Day, National Relaxation Day and National Lemon Merengue Pie Day. It’s also the 9 month anniversary of my hysterectomy.
“I’ve never celebrated the 9 month anniversary of anything and I realized last night why that number feels so funny - I won’t ever do it the way I planned to
“My body is mostly healed and every day I find a new bruise on my heart, but today I offer myself gratitude: from the most pained place, I somehow knew to choose myself.
“The purest glint of who we are and know we can be is always available to us, calm and true at our centre.
“My friend Paul named my uterus Judy, and when she was being uppity we called her out, hence the tattoo on my ribs, which hurt like fuck even through the pain meds: #RIPJudy.
“Today I give thanks for Judy, for her graceful exit and for this body, which is stronger than I’ve ever given it credit for. Happy Giving Birth To Myself Day.”