Did Kate Middleton have a hysterectomy?

Let’s be clear up top: The status of Kate Middleton‘s reproductive organs is nobody’s business but her own. Even as the future Queen Consort and mother of the heir to the throne, nobody but her has any right to know what decisions she’s making regarding her health.

However, with speculation mounting on her mysterious disappearance and Kensington Palace stoking the conspiracy fires with vague and noncommittal statements, many are theorizing what Middleton’s unknown “abdominal surgery” in January was all about. And, to be fair, one of the more plausible answers is that she’s had a hysterectomy:

For those not in the know, a hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus, or potentially the uterus and cervix. It’s a common procedure that’s performed for various gynecological reasons, usually after a woman has an established a family and does not want any more children. This would explain a lot about the radio silence from the Palace and Middleton. After all, nobody should be forced to put out a press statement confirming they’ve had this procedure and have to put up with endless column inches of strangers giving their opinion on your decision. Or, to put it more succinctly:

That said, there are a few holes in this theory. One is that recovery time from the procedure should be relatively brief depending on how invasive the surgery was. Per WebMD, recovery can range from as short as six days to as long as six weeks. Middleton is now beyond six weeks, though she is a princess and I imagine they get a little more leeway when it comes to post-op care.

The most straightforward answer is that we don’t know if Middleton had a hysterectomy. We may never know what her “abdominal surgery” was for and frankly, it’s none of our business. We do wish, however, that the palace would at minimum post some kind of proof-of-life picture or a direct quote from her, as the conspiracy theories are getting kinda crazy.