Yeah the hysterectomy thing should not be taken lightly. Getting it yanked (especially early in life) leaves women with a myriad of problems similar to what happens to troons- heart problems, bone problems, sexual problems, endocrine problems. And that's not even touching on the fact that obviously it destroys your fertility. Doctors who recommend it for anything short of life-threatening hemorrhage or cancer need to be questioned closely and the patient should seek a second opinion. They don't go around chopping testes off for minor health problems or "chronic pain." The overuse of hysterectomies is legitimate misogyny in medicine- but oddly a lot of feminists support it.
I've said this before but my veterinarian asked me to read a study on the risks of spaying my large breed dog before he'd operate on her. The newest research shows how badly it can foreshorten certain breeds' life expectancy and quality of life. People are more thoughtful about what they do to their pets than they are about what they do to the one and only body they get to live in.
Endometriosis to this level is not a "minor health problem", and "chronic pain" can be serious. Endometriosis is agonising and reported to be worse than childbirth in some cases. Some women and girls are tortured by their own bodies 24/7 rather than just when on their periods. Chronic pain of the testes is not treated by removing them as the testes themselves aren't causing the problem.
A partial hysterectomy would suggest this woman's ovaries were spared, leaving the chance for surrogacy babies and avoiding most of the side effects you mentioned.
I do agree though that hysterectomies are often offered as a solution falsely or unnecessarily.
In the case of endometriosis, cells extremely similar to the cells lining the womb are growing outside of the womb, mostly on the peritoneum, the inner lining of the abdomen which also lines the outside of many abdominal organs. The lesions are fed by hormones, like normal endometrial cells. From the peritoneum, the lesions can infiltrate the organs it covers. It can spread to distant parts of the body, like the brain and lungs. Removing the uterus will not solve the pain (caused by an immune response to the lesions), unless the endometriosis is limited to the outside of the uterus. It will solve the cramps though, which not all endometriosis sufferers have but can be another source of severe pain.
The chronic bleeding would be a justification for the removal of the womb in this case. Leaving the ovaries though will leave the strong possibility of endometriosis pain continuing, minus cramping, as the normal hormonal cycle that feeds endometriosis will still exist.
A lot of endometriosis surgery to remove the lesions is inadequate and the surgeons poorly trained. If they are not careful to remove it all, it will come back, and since abdominal surgery creates adhesions, may eventually make the pain worse.
Better training for surgeons is needed, also more recognition of the effect of diet on endometriosis. For example, heavy bleeding can be caused by iodine or magnesium deficiencies. The heavy bleeding quickly leads to iron deficiencies, which in turn leads to heavier periods and goes into a vicious cycle.
I have good reason to believe that endometriosis is caused or exacerbated by pesticides in food, but that's unlikely to gain any traction with the general public or health authorities.
