Types of abdominal hysterectomy

In an abdominal hysterectomy, the doctor removes the uterus through an opening in the belly. If it is a "total hysterectomy," the doctor also removes the cervix. If it is a "subtotal" or "supracervical" hysterectomy, the doctor removes the uterus but leaves the cervix in place.

To do this surgery, doctors sometimes make a horizontal cut (from left to right) at the bikini line. Sometimes, they instead make a vertical cut from top to bottom. As part of a hysterectomy, doctors sometimes also remove the ovaries and the tubes that connect the ovaries to the uterus (fallopian tubes). This is called "salpingo-oophorectomy."