When it comes to women’s health, few topics are as deeply personal—or as widely misunderstood—as the hysterectomy. For generations, decisions around this common procedure have often been shrouded in silence, misinformation, and a lack of agency. But a powerful shift is underway.
In The Empowered Hysterectomy, Dr. Kameelah Phillips delivers more than a guidebook—she shares a movement rooted in advocacy, education, and profound personal insight. Her mission: to empower women with the knowledge and confidence to take control of their reproductive health and challenge the norms that have historically silenced their experiences.
Where It All Began
Dr. Phillips’ commitment to women’s health stems from growing up in a multigenerational household where the well-being of women shaped the entire family’s dynamics.
“Like many people, I grew up in a multigenerational household. In our home in California, I lived with my grandmother and great-grandmother, so I was constantly exposed to their experiences. I’ve often reflected on that and realized how much it shaped me—how many of us grew up with the women in our family primarily being the caregivers and the backbone of the household. They kept everything together, and when their health declined, everything around us shifted,” Dr. Phillips tells BlackDoctor.org.
“I remember we were planning an event when my grandmother wasn’t doing well, and it really hit me how vital women are—not just in our homes, but in our communities and workplaces. When women have health issues, everything can start to fall apart. I truly realized the impact at around age seven. My grandfather had to take over doing my hair, and let’s just say I hated leaving the house. You know how sensitive we are about our hair. So when you’re showing up to school looking a mess and getting teased, you start to understand that life just runs smoother when the women feel good,” she adds.
Witnessing the central role women play in caregiving and community health inspired her to pursue medicine and focus on giving women the tools to understand and advocate for their bodies.
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“I realized that when we uplift women, because of who we are by nature, everyone else benefits too. Instead of trying to tackle huge public health initiatives, I thought, ‘What if I just focus on women?’ Because if they feel better, they’ll naturally influence their families, communities, and workplaces,” Dr. Phillips says.
That sentiment is the idea behind the title of her book.
“Empowered Hysterectomy really speaks to that message. It’s about reframing how we view women’s health, especially reproductive health, and shifting the focus back to women themselves. The book includes so many nuggets to help women feel more in control of their health,” she shares. “I went through so many potential titles when thinking about the book, because, honestly, I didn’t want people to think it was just about a hysterectomy. But since so many of us are working through issues related to our reproductive systems—especially the GI tract and beyond—I thought that title would resonate. I also figured it might even trigger some curiosity, like, ‘Oh, what’s this about?’ and get people thinking more deeply.”
“At first, I was like, ‘Is this overused?’ But the more I sat with it, the more I realized it was exactly right. Given where we are in this country with reproductive rights, women of every shape, color, and socioeconomic status—whether they realize it or not—are facing attacks on their reproductive choices,” she adds. “I love the word empower because I wanted to bring the focus back to you—to your body and what it means. I wanted to remind women that you run this. The doctors don’t run this. The medical system doesn’t run this. You make the important decisions that determine the direction of your health care.”
For Dr. Phillips, The Empowered Hysterectomy is a tribute to the women who showed her the strength within herself.
“It’s about the power and authority I try to give my patients every day in the office—reminding them that they’re in charge, and that I’m here as a member of their care team, not the leader. We’re in this together, as partners,” she notes.
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Calling Out Misconceptions
One memorable story from the book involves a patient, Teresa, who was dismissed by a previous physician and told that her fibroids were a “normal” part of aging. Like many women, Teresa didn’t recognize that her painful, heavy periods were signs of a condition requiring medical attention.
“We’ve normalized suffering as part of womanhood,” Dr. Phillips explains. “Painful, debilitating periods, wearing diapers, missing out on life—that’s not normal, and it shouldn’t be accepted.”
She challenges the outdated approach of “leaving fibroids alone if they’re not bothering you,” emphasizing the need for proactive care and regular monitoring to avoid complications down the line.
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The Bias Built Into Medicine
Dr. Phillips also uncovers the racial biases embedded in the healthcare system. Historically, medical literature depicted endometriosis as a white woman’s disease, marginalizing countless women of color. Dr. Joseph Vincent Meigs helped spread this belief back in 1930. These assumptions persist, leading to underdiagnosis and inadequate care.
“If you look at the literature—even the earliest medical journals—they stereotyped endometriosis as something that only affected white women. And that was completely biased. The hospitals where those early studies were conducted served predominantly white women, and the language used to describe patients made it clear they were referring to affluent white women,” Dr. Phillips explains.
But we know that’s not the full picture.
“Genetically, our bodies aren’t so different that women of color wouldn’t experience endometriosis. What happened, though, is that this biased, racist framing got embedded in medical literature, and generations of doctors learned it—and then passed it on. Even I had to go through a conscious unlearning process to realize that we need a much broader, more inclusive lens when diagnosing and treating patients,” she adds.
Whether it’s Black women being overdiagnosed with fibroids or Latina women being overlooked for endometriosis, Dr. Phillips stresses the need for comprehensive, culturally competent care.
“We can’t just assume, ‘Oh, she’s Latina—she probably doesn’t have endometriosis,’ or, ‘She’s white—she can’t have fibroids.’ Just yesterday in the office, I saw a 38-year-old white woman who had a hysterectomy. I was stunned. I had all these thoughts running through my head—like, ‘Oh my gosh, was that all they offered you? Did you not want kids?’ And it reminded me again: We have to keep a wide-angle view and not let racial stereotypes determine how we care for people,” Dr. Phillips adds.
“Right now, white women are often seen as the default for endometriosis, and Black women are often reduced to being ‘the face’ of fibroids. And yes, I’ll acknowledge that Black women are disproportionately affected by fibroids—but that’s not all we deal with. It’s so important that we’re treated as whole people, not just as avatars of a condition. Because when we reduce people to stereotypes, we miss the real root of their health issues, and we fail to treat them properly,” she explains.
The Empowered Hysterectomy: Making Informed Decisions
A key section of the book is dedicated to ensuring that patients understand exactly what a hysterectomy entails—and that they are aware of all their options. Dr. Phillips advocates for patients to ask thorough, clarifying questions:
- What lifestyle changes or medications can I try first?
- What minimally invasive options are available?
- Am I a good candidate for these?
- What kind of hysterectomy is being proposed—partial or total?
- Will my ovaries, cervix, or fallopian tubes be removed?
- What are the long-term effects?
“When you get to your surgical day, you should be confident,” she insists. “You should know what’s being removed, why, and that you’ve considered every option.”
She stresses that patients must understand the risks and benefits of each approach—open surgery versus minimally invasive methods—and how personal health conditions may affect their candidacy.
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Personal Stories That Resonate
Dr. Phillips’ own story about experiencing pelvic floor dysfunction after childbirth underscores a critical message: even doctors face health challenges. Sharing her experiences normalizes conversations about urinary incontinence, aging, and the evolving female body.
“Just because someone appears healthy doesn’t mean they’re not dealing with something,” she reflects. “We need to give ourselves and each other grace—and speak up.”
She encourages open dialogue, humor, and honesty as tools for healing and connection, and to help women seek the care they need without shame.
Breaking Generational Silence
Dr. Phillips calls for a cultural shift, especially within communities of color, to break the silence around women’s health.
“Too many of us were never told what to expect,” she says. “Mothers don’t talk to daughters, sisters don’t talk to each other—and it’s hurting us.”
She urges women to start conversations about menstruation, menopause, fertility, and family health history, helping daughters and young women recognize warning signs and speak with medical professionals with confidence.
“In my opinion—as a mother of three—it’s a non-negotiable part of parenting. I teach my daughters and my son the proper anatomy as a strategy to help protect them from these kinds of concerns. I mean, growing up, I don’t even remember how old I was when I learned the word ‘vagina.’ But I definitely wasn’t a kid—I was probably in high school, maybe later, because we only had that special sex ed class in high school,” she shares. “And I think about that when I see adult women who come in and say, ‘Something’s wrong with my hoo-ha,’ and I’m like, ‘Wait—what?’”
“And these are grown women! Still using euphemisms like ‘down there,’ ‘hoo-ha,’ ‘flower,’ and so on. It really shows how so many people were never given the tools—or the words—to understand their bodies. Helping them learn the anatomical terms can be incredibly empowering. It helps them accurately describe pain, discomfort, or anything they’ve experienced. And that empowerment starts in childhood,” she adds.
She also encourages women to celebrate their uterus annually in the same way they celebrate their birthday.
“Our culture has treated women’s bodies in such a negative way that, even when you’re having reproductive health problems, we as individuals tend to double down on that negativity. But where did all of this come from?” she notes.
“In many cultures—specifically African, South Asian, and Native cultures—the female form has been celebrated. It’s only in the past few hundred years that we’ve started viewing it through such a critical and often demeaning lens. So I just wanted to remind people that, yes, you may be having issues—but this is your body. This is your huge, powerful, beautiful body, and it can serve you, often to the degree that you want it to. I think it’s really important to realize that even when you’re struggling, there’s still so much to be grateful for in being female,” she says.
A Lasting Message
As readers finish the book, Dr. Phillips hopes they feel empowered to take authority over their bodies.
She leaves readers with three takeaways from her personal experience:
1. Give your body grace.
“We need to give our bodies grace,” she says. “The aging process has taught me that there really is a disconnect between the mind and the body sometimes. You may think your body should be able to do something, but your body’s like, ‘Hold my beer’—and it does something totally different. So especially as we start to age, we’ve got to give our bodies that grace.”
2. Be honest with your doctor—nothing is too embarrassing.
“That’s one of the biggest points I want to impress on people: there’s nothing you should be afraid to share with your doctor. I even ‘come out’ sometimes with my patients. Like when they come in for their visits, I’ll ask, ‘How many times did you pee on yourself this week?’—just to normalize those experiences and bring a little humor into it. That often helps people open up and say, ‘Oh wait, yeah, I should talk about that,’ and that way, they can actually get the proper care and treatment they need,” she adds.
3. Recognize that your body is constantly evolving, and prepare for each new chapter.
“It’s also important to acknowledge that your body at 14 is different from your body in your 20s, 30s, 40s, and beyond. So at each stage of life, we need to be preparing for the next stage—not waiting for life to take over, or for reproductive changes to manage us. Instead, we should be taking steps now to stay strong and present in the moment, while also preparing ourselves physically and mentally for what’s next,” she shares.
“At the root of it, we’re all the same—just trying to live our healthiest, best lives. And listen, incontinence can get us all. Prolapse can get us. It’s funny—there’s this woman I work out with, Lily. She’s older than me, and we’re always like, ‘Okay, who’s gonna pee first today?’ But we talk about it. We normalize it. Because this is what women’s bodies do, and there’s no reason to be ashamed,” she concludes.
To purchase a copy of Dr. Phillips’ book, click here.
