Abdominal hysterectomy cost in the UK: what you pay privately (2026)

A private abdominal hysterectomy removes the womb through a cut in the lower abdomen, and is used for fibroids, heavy bleeding, prolapse, endometriosis or some cancers when other treatments have not worked or are not suitable.

Some private hospitals post guide prices for common procedures. For abdominal hysterectomy the entries we found ran from £5,764 to £10,900. Each row below is a published figure from the named provider, and the label shows the exact variant it priced.

Hospitals update these lists, and a guide price is not a quote. Treat the figures as a way to see the scale of the bill, then compare against a written estimate for your own case.

Through a horizontal or vertical cut in the lower abdomen, the surgeon removes the womb and sometimes the cervix, tubes and ovaries. You stay in hospital for a few days.

Ask whether keyhole or vaginal surgery would be suitable, because these often mean a shorter stay and faster recovery.

Price differences for abdominal hysterectomy usually come down to a handful of choices and circumstances, set out here.

• Approach: abdominal, vaginal and laparoscopic routes are priced differently, and keyhole surgery often means a shorter stay.

• Extent: removal of ovaries or tubes at the same time, or of a large uterus, adds time.

• Length of stay: an abdominal operation generally needs a longer stay than keyhole.

• Hospital pricing: published abdominal prices ranged widely, from £5,764 to £10,900 in the lists we retrieved.

• Surgeon, anaesthetist and pathology fees.

The same label can mean different things at different hospitals. Use this table as a checklist when you read an estimate.

Insurers usually cover hysterectomy for medically necessary indications with authorisation.

Policies differ on outpatient and inpatient cover, so the same procedure can be fully, partly or not covered. If you pay yourself, ask what is guaranteed in the price and whether instalment plans carry interest.

NHS hysterectomy follows assessment and trial of alternatives, with the 18-week standard applying to the pathway, though waits vary.

The NHS pathway runs through your GP and a consultant-led service, with an 18-week referral-to-treatment standard for non-urgent care. If a wait looks likely to exceed that, you can ask your commissioner about alternatives.

Recovery takes several weeks, with no heavy lifting for around six weeks and time off desk work for several weeks, longer after an abdominal cut than keyhole surgery.

Most people have an uneventful experience, but it helps to know how a problem would be handled financially.

• Bleeding, infection, injury to bladder or bowel and blood clots are possible, and a complication can extend the stay and cost; ask what the price covers.

• If the ovaries are removed before the menopause, menopausal symptoms begin and treatment is ongoing.

To compare like with like, request the same details from every provider. For this procedure the useful questions are below.

• Why an abdominal route rather than keyhole or vaginal?

• Are tubes and ovaries included in the plan?

• How many nights does the price assume?

• Is histology included?

• Does the quote itemise the hospital, consultant and anaesthetic charges, and which of them could still change?