Is It Possible to Get Pregnant After a Hysterectomy?

Because there are several different ways to do a hysterectomy you may be able to get pregnant afterward. If you have a complete hysterectomy for some reason you obviously cannot get pregnant because you do not have ovaries to release eggs. If you have a partial hysterectomy and your ovaries are left, which they usually are in modern hysterectomies, you could possibly get pregnant. Every hysterectomy is a bit different, so to is each person's definition of what is a hysterectomy may be. If you still have the female reproductive organs to produce eggs and carry a child to term you may just have a baby in your future, no matter how slim the possibility.

Pregnancy occurs when an egg is released from an ovary and is fertilized by sperm. The egg will then implant in the lining of the uterus and continue to develop into a fully formed fetus. In women that have had a hysterectomy they can still get pregnant, but whether the pregnancy will be viable will depend on if there is a uterus and what damage may have been done to in the process of removing other parts of the female reproductive organs. Some women experience scarring of other organs when a partial hysterectomy is performed which can further impair chances to become pregnant.

Doctors ordinarily tell their patients that if they do not have a uterus they cannot get pregnant but there is some literature to suggest that this may not be true. Every now and then a woman who has had her uterus removed will ovulate and there will be sperm available to fertilize the egg. Usually the egg is simply absorbed by the body but there is evidence to suggest in very rare cases that a fetus can continue develop attached to a fallopian tube or even the inside of the abdominal wall. For obvious reasons this is not a viable pregnancy, mostly because the area will not allow for the growth of the child and there is no source of nourishment. A lot of the time women will not even realize that there was a fertilized egg because it dies before it grows enough to be noticed.

In the end, the answer to whether or not you can become pregnant after a hysterectomy depends on your definition of pregnancy. Women who have had just an ovary or fallopian tube removed can still get pregnant but women without a uterus cannot carry a child to term and usually they are not even aware if an egg has been fertilized by some off chance. The body works in mysterious ways, but when you remove the uterus from the woman you are removing her capability to carry a healthy fetus to term.

Each pregnancy, expectant mother, and unborn child is different. Your pregnancy may not progress the same as the information found here. The information here is based on the average pregnancy. It's not meant to be a replacement for any advice your may receive from your doctor. If you have any concerns about your pregnancy, we advise you to contact your doctor.