Gynaecology treatment in India
Fibroids are the reason most women travel to India for gynaecological surgery, and the first question is almost always the same: can this be treated without losing the womb? Often it can. This page covers fibroid removal, hysterectomy when it is genuinely needed, and gynaecological cancer surgery, with real partner-hospital prices.
- Commonly treated
- Fibroids, heavy bleeding, endometriosis, prolapse, gynaecological cancers
- Indicative cost
- Myomectomy from $4,000; laparoscopic hysterectomy from $3,000
- Hospital stay
- 4 to 6 days depending on the operation
- Fertility
- Myomectomy removes fibroids and keeps the womb, so pregnancy stays possible
- Time in India
- Around 2 to 3 weeks for most gynaecological surgery
- First step
- A gynaecologist reviews your ultrasound or MRI on video, free
Fibroids: removal or hysterectomy
Fibroids are non-cancerous growths in the muscle of the womb. They are very common, they are more common and often larger and earlier-onset in women of African descent, and many cause no symptoms at all. When they do, it is usually heavy or prolonged periods, pressure or swelling in the abdomen, pain, pressure on the bladder, or difficulty conceiving.
The decision that matters is between removing the fibroids and removing the womb.
Myomectomy: fibroids out, womb kept
- The fibroids are removed and the womb is repaired
- Pregnancy remains possible afterwards
- Indicative $4,000 to $4,500 open, $6,500 to $7,000 robotic
- New fibroids can grow later, so it is not a permanent guarantee
- More bleeding during surgery than a hysterectomy, and a longer operation
Hysterectomy: the womb removed
- Definitive: fibroids and heavy bleeding cannot return
- Indicative $3,000 to $4,000 laparoscopic, $6,000 to $6,500 robotic
- Pregnancy is no longer possible
- Usually keeps the ovaries, so it does not by itself cause menopause
- Appropriate where the family is complete or fibroids are extensive
If you may want children, say so at the very start of the consultation, before any plan is proposed. It changes the operation. A great many women are offered hysterectomy for fibroids when a myomectomy would have been feasible, simply because the question was not asked. It is also worth asking directly: if you find more fibroids than the scan shows, what will you do, and will you still preserve the womb? Agree the answer beforehand rather than waking up to a decision made without you.
One honest caveat about myomectomy and pregnancy. Where the repair goes deep into the muscle of the womb, obstetricians often advise a planned caesarean section for future deliveries rather than labour. Ask your surgeon what they expect in your case, because it is useful to know before you conceive rather than after.
If a hysterectomy is the right answer
Where the family is complete, where fibroids are numerous or very large, or where bleeding has not responded to anything else, hysterectomy is a good operation and it ends the problem permanently. Two things are worth understanding.
The route. Laparoscopic or robotic hysterectomy is done through small incisions, which means less pain and a faster return to normal life than open surgery through a large abdominal cut. The indicative prices are $3,000 to $4,000 laparoscopic and $6,000 to $6,500 robotic, both with a four-day stay. Very large fibroids can make the keyhole route impossible, and that is a judgement made from your scan.
The ovaries. Removing the womb does not by itself cause menopause, because the ovaries produce the hormones. If the ovaries are also removed, menopause follows immediately and abruptly, which is a significant thing at a younger age. Ask specifically whether your ovaries are being kept and why. There should be a clear reason if they are not.
What gynaecological surgery costs in India
| Procedure | Indicative cost | Hospital stay |
|---|---|---|
| Hysterectomy, laparoscopic | $3,000–4,000 | 4 days |
| Hysterectomy, robotic | $6,000–6,500 | 4 days |
| Myomectomy, open | $4,000–4,500 | 5–6 days |
| Myomectomy, robotic | $6,500–7,000 | 5–6 days |
| Hysterectomy with lymph node dissection (cervical cancer) | $6,500 | 5 days |
Gynaecological cancers
Cancers of the cervix, ovary and womb are treated by gynaecological oncology teams and are covered in more depth in the cancer section: cervical cancer and ovarian cancer.
One point deserves repeating here because it is so often missed. Cervical cancer is preventable through screening and HPV vaccination, and highly treatable when caught early. If you are arranging travel for a gynaecological problem and have never been screened, ask about it at the same consultation. It costs almost nothing alongside a trip you are already making.
Fertility
Difficulty conceiving is a common reason women consider treatment abroad, and India has well-established fertility centres. Because our partner price list does not cover fertility treatment, we will not put a figure on this page; you will be given a written estimate after a consultation instead.
What is worth saying is that fertility treatment is the area of medicine where honest counsel matters most and is offered least. Success depends heavily on age, on the cause, and on ovarian reserve, and a clinic that quotes you a headline success rate without reference to your own test results is telling you about its patients rather than about you. Ask for a realistic chance in your specific case, ask how many cycles the plan assumes, and ask what happens if the first does not work. And be careful with any programme that requires a long uninterrupted stay abroad; the logistics of that are frequently underestimated.
Time in India
Most gynaecological surgery means four to six days in hospital and around two to three weeks in India in total, allowing for tests beforehand and a wound and recovery check before you fly. Keyhole and robotic surgery generally recover faster than open surgery. Ask for clearance before booking your return flight, and ask about clot prevention for the flight, since pelvic surgery raises that risk.
Where it is done
Gynaecological surgery needs laparoscopic and, for some cases, robotic capability, and for cancer work a gynaecological oncology team rather than a general gynaecologist. Our partner network includes accredited multi-speciality hospitals with both. See our partner hospitals.
Questions patients ask
Can fibroids be removed without removing the womb?
Often yes. A myomectomy removes the fibroids and repairs the womb, so pregnancy remains possible, at an indicative $4,000 to $4,500 open or $6,500 to $7,000 robotic. Whether it is feasible depends on the number, size and position of the fibroids. Say at the very start of the consultation if you may want children, because it changes the plan.
How much does a hysterectomy cost in India?
An indicative $3,000 to $4,000 for a laparoscopic hysterectomy and $6,000 to $6,500 robotic, both with a four-day stay. Pre-operative investigations, flights, visa and accommodation sit outside the package. Your written estimate follows a gynaecologist's review of your scans.
Will a hysterectomy put me into menopause?
Not by itself, because the ovaries produce the hormones and are usually left in place. If the ovaries are also removed, menopause follows immediately, which is significant at a younger age. Ask specifically whether your ovaries are being kept, and if not, why.
Can fibroids come back after a myomectomy?
Yes. Myomectomy removes the fibroids present but does not stop new ones forming, so recurrence over the years is possible. That is the main trade-off against a hysterectomy, which is definitive. For a woman who wants to conceive, it is usually a trade-off worth making.
Can I have a normal delivery after fibroid surgery?
Sometimes, but where the repair went deep into the muscle of the womb obstetricians often advise a planned caesarean rather than labour. Ask your surgeon what they expect in your case and get it in writing, so the obstetrician who eventually delivers you knows what was done.
How much does IVF cost in India?
We do not publish a figure, because fertility treatment is not covered by the partner price list this site quotes from and we will not invent a number. Ask at the consultation and you will receive a written estimate. Be wary anywhere of headline success rates quoted without reference to your own age and test results.
How long will I need to stay in India?
Around two to three weeks for most gynaecological surgery, including four to six days in hospital, tests beforehand and a check before flying. Keyhole and robotic surgery recover faster than open surgery. Ask about clot prevention for the flight, since pelvic surgery raises that risk.