Women who experience heavy, painful periods are often given hysterectomies to end the debilitating condition.
But new research has suggested thousands of women could retain their chances of having children, thanks to a simple blood test.
Specialists at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals in the UK say that many of the women who are given a hysterectomy or endometrial ablation (which burns away the lining of the womb), could be suffering from a blood-clotting disorder.
The ground-breaking study from the NHS Trust, has found that up to 20% of the 30,000 women in England and Wales who have hysterectomies each year, could be treated without the need for such drastic measures.
As these conditions are not currently routinely tested for, women may be slipping under the radar, having hysterectomies and endometrial ablation when there is actually no need.
If patients were found to suffer from one of these conditions, the women could take a pill or nasal spray to treat their symptoms.
