History and Objectives: Hysterectomy (Removal of uterus) is one of the common surgical operations in females. Due to the importance of determination of its prevalence and causes in health care and therapeutic programs and lack of corresponding data in Kashan, this study was conducted to establish the prevalence and causes of hysterectomy among patients referring to Dr. Shabihkhani maternity hospital in Kashan in 1374-1375.

Materials and Methods: A descriptive study was performed on 150 women referring Dr. Shabihkhani maternity hospital for hysterectomy. Data including age, job, marital status, educational level, parity, menopausal status, technique of operation, preoperative diagnosis on the basis of physical examination, laboratory examinations and pathologic reports were recorded in corresponding questionnaires. Finally, after extraction and classification of the information, they were statistically described.

Results: This study showed that hysterectomy accounts for 5.9% of all surgical operations in women in this center. 44.7% of patients were 45-55 years old. 56.6% of women had history of one of 5 childbirths, which comprised the largest group among patients. Abdominal hysterectomy was performed in 90.6% of patients and the remainder undergone vaginal hysterectomy. The most common causes of hysterectomy were leiomyoma (49.3%) abnormal uterine bleeding (28.6%) and pelvic laxation (12.6%). Abnormal pelvic examination was reported in 117 patients (78%) and in 33 women (22%) pelvic examination failed to detect the involved site. 71.3% of patients had laboratory examination and the remaining 28.7% did not have. Pathologic report was abnormal in 60% and normal in 40% of patients.

Conclusion: Leiomyoma, abnormal uterine bleeding and pelvic laxity constitute the common causes of hysterectomy. Analytical studies are recommended to determine the contribution of different factors in order to prevent unnecessary hysterectomies.