Aim. The aim of the study was to evaluate the quality of life of women after hysterectomy with respect to socio-demographic and clinical factors. Material and methods. The study included 70 women after hysterectomy, hospitalized in 2011 in the Radiotherapy and Gynecological Oncology Unit at WCO in Poznan. The most common reasons for surgery were bleeding from the uterus – 42.86%, malignant tumors – 24.29% and uterine fibroids – 22.86%. The time from the end of treatment to the study ranged from 6 months to 5 years. The study was conducted using the Polish version of the Quality of Life Index (QLI) by Ferrans & Powers. The scale evaluates satisfaction with various aspects of life as well as the importance of these aspects in the functioning of respondents. The higher the score, the higher the quality of life. Results. It was found that the average value of the QLI scale was higher in younger women, married and unmarried with secondary and university education, than in older women, widows and divorcees with vocational and basic education. The average value of the QLI scale was higher in women who had hysterectomy for non-oncological reasons, without any additional treatment and the time since the operation was over 5 years. Conclusions. Results of this study show that surgical removal of the uterus causes a reduction in the quality of life in women, which is influenced by both clinical and socio-demographic factors.

Key words: quality of life, hysterectomy.