Someone Asked Me Why I Needed a Uterus

Someone on social media asked me why I was opting for an out-of-pocket robotic myomectomy instead of the fully hysterectomy my insurance approved doctors are asking me to get.

Their reasoning was that insurance would pay nearly in full for the hysterectomy. I’m in my late thirties. I don’t want kids. So why do I want to save my uterus…

My response is this: If you were to ask a guy the same question, “You’re in your late thirties and you don’t plan on having kids… Then why do you need your balls? Just cut them off.” You would get the reaction that I think you’re all imagining which is, HELL NO!

So, why, in this country is it radical for a woman to seek out a procedure that will save their womanly parts, as much as possible? This goes back to the fact that women’s health issues in this country are STILL to this day dismissed as unnecessary. Insurance companies are not here to make sure we have a better quality of life. They are here to make sure they make a profit. If you have a full abdominal hysterectomy then THEY make a hell of a lot more money than if you choose a less invasive robotic myomectomy.

Which is why I am trying to pay for this on my own. I have decent insurance. But they will only cover things that they approve in THEIR hospitals. They want me to have a full hysterectomy and the doctors of theirs that I have met with have left me feeling cold and unsure. Definitely not people I trust to cut into me.

Over 200,000 women are told each year in this country that they need hysterectomies. When only a portion of those women probably actually need those. They are unnecessary. They are brutal. And they come with terrible life-long side effects that can completely ruin your life. These side effects can be anything from mere life-long constipation, to severe bleeding, bladder incontinence, extreme pain, depression, life-long hormone replacement therapy, inability to have sex comfortably due to abdominal pain and vaginal dryness issues… And this is just the tip of the iceberg when talking about what can happen after a hysterectomy.

Yes, I’m in my late thirties. Yes, I do not want kids. But I am deserving of a good quality of life. 70% of women in America will develop uterine fibroids in their lifetime. That is over HALF OF AMERICAN WOMEN. And to think that a large portion of those women are getting half-assed medical treatment makes me sick to my stomach. Because you know that most of the women who are diagnosed are not going to know that they have other options. They aren’t going to seek second, and even third opinions like me. They are trusting their doctors. And they probably have shitty insurance thanks to the current health care situation in this country because they were forced to buy terrible plans that are resentful for even being a part of Obamacare…

Before I start ranting about healthcare, let me continue...

These women are not getting the right care or counseling. Trust me, a couple of months ago I was staring down the barrel of a hysterectomy. I was terrified and depressed and pretty much thinking life was over. Because that was what my health insurance was saying. But I stayed true to myself. I looked for more options. And I found one. I found one that will assure me a better quality of life.

There is no reason to have a hysterectomy unless it is your LAST option. Women, do not let our archaic medical industry tell you that your reproductive organs are not worth anything. They are in it to make a buck. They couldn’t care less. So, continue to look for options.

And I HIGHLY recommend you look into Dr. Devin Garza at the Renaissance Women’s Group in Austin (no I’m not getting paid for this) and get a consultation from him. He has given me hope again. And I hope that he, and other doctors like him, can save more women from the horrors of a full abdominal hysterectomy.