If you have just undergone or are about to undergo a surgery for uterus removal your fears about becoming sexually handicapped are not some fluffy stuff. To assure women that they would in no measure be sexually unavailable even after uterus removal a study was carried out that reaffirms women's sexuality post both partial and complete removal of the uterus.

The new research by a New Zealand based Auckland University team has found that it is not necessary to retain the cervix for pelvic function. Total hysterectomy is a slightly more complex and lengthy operation, but the likelihood of ongoing menstrual bleeding after surgery is increased with subtotal or partial hysterectomy. Most women do go in for hysterectomy because of non cancerous complaints of fibroids and heavy menstrual bleeding. Or hormone imbalances leading to hot flashes and mood swings and discomfort in attending to the normal activities of life.

So if you are a woman considering surgery you will have to balance the supposed advantages of a less complicated surgery with a risk of cyclical bleeding after subtotal hysterectomy. That is about the only difference between the two.

The research team also found no evidence from these trials that removal of the cervix impaired sexual function. Satisfaction with sex, prevalence of painful intercourse and rates of sexual problems in the year or two following surgery did not differ significantly according to the type of hysterectomy.

Early studies pointed to the conclusion that subtotal hysterectomy was better than total hysterectomy in terms of sexual function, urinary function, and gastrointestinal function, but these studies were not well done.

About the only risk that women with total hysterectomy have is that women having total hysterectomy have greater chances of getting a fever during surgery. Operating time is also about 11 minutes shorter for subtotal hysterectomy in the two trials that measured this, and women who underwent subtotal hysterectomy in these studies also lost less blood, on average, than women having total hysterectomy.

However, there was no significant difference in the need for blood transfusions according to type of surgery. An 11-minute difference in the operating room is statistically significant, but it is clinically irrelevant. Another potential disadvantage of total hysterectomy, an increased risk of vaginal vault prolapse, was however not confirmed in the review.

One significant difference of possible relevance to some women was the greater likelihood of ongoing cyclical vaginal bleeding with subtotal hysterectomy. Almost 12 percent of women having subtotal hysterectomy were experiencing ongoing bleeding one year after surgery was completed, compared to fewer than 1 percent of women having total hysterectomy. Some women have had cyclical bleeding after subtotal hysterectomy, but many do have the potential for post-hysterectomy spotting with subtotal hysterectomy.

While the last word on this is still not out, and your doctor will tell you the best case scenario, you can now opt for subtotal or complete hysterectomy on the basis of the after effects. You do get to choose your procedure.