1. A Painful Problem
Hysterectomy scar tissue, also known as adhesions, comes from an abnormal connection between two parts of the body. When surgeons remove the uterus, ovaries or both, the remaining organs sometimes form attachments to other organs. This results in a lot of pain for many women. But hysterectomy isn't the only type of surgery that causes adhesions. Scar tissue happens in most types of pelvic or other surgery. The different is in the pain. Women having a hysterectomy often experience chronic pain from resulting scar tissues that forms after surgery. The pain from adhesions is intense and constant, and often leaves women in more pain than they had before hysterectomy. Symptoms from adhesions usually begin within 6 months of hysterectomy surgery.
2. Chronic Pelvic Pain
Chronic pelvic pain, or CPP, is a condition resulting from scar tissue or adhesion. When scar tissue forms causing adhesions, the organs tether to other organs of the body. So with movement or any type of daily activity, trapped nerves pull in developing scar tissue. This is where the chronic pain comes in. CPP often develops into CPP syndrome, a condition where both women and men with adhesions experience emotional instability and stress due to the way they handle the pain.
3. The Jury is Out
Not all doctors agree that scar tissue or adhesions cause chronic pelvic pain. But women who suffer from chronic pelvic pain after hysterectomy know something causes their discomfort. The reason why adhesions and scarring is so hard to diagnose is because there's no easy way to see it without invasive techniques. Doctors use laparoscopy to diagnose endometriosis and often find adhesions present in the pelvic region. Currently MRI and CT scans don't accurately diagnose adhesions in most people.
4. Hope for the Hurting
There is some hope for women concerned about scarring and adhesions as a result of hysterectomy. Now surgeons experiment with and use absorbable adhesion barriers that protect tissues from developing scars and later adhesions. These barriers simply dissolve over time. Most surgeons agree that good surgical techniques combined with anti-scar products produce the best results.
5. What's Next?
For women with post operative scarring and adhesions from hysterectomy, there is hope. Often a second surgery helps relieve the pain from scarring. However, it's important that doctors understand the cause of the pain before they perform any additional procedures. Both infection and recurrent endometriosis cause pelvic pain after a hysterectomy, so the right diagnosis is vital to proper treatment.
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