Excessive menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia), is a debilitating condition that affects approximately 22of all menstruating women and accounts for more than 30of the 600,000 hysterectomies performed in the United States. Hysterectomy, the second most frequently performed surgical procedure in the United States, is the most common surgical treatment for menorrhagia. Although hysterectomy provides a cure for menorrhagia, it is often accompanied by numerous physical and psychological effects. Hysterectomies performed to treat excessive menstrual bleeding cost the U.S. healthcare system an estimated $1.5 billion annually. Less