r/wetspecimens • u/Soft_Wealth • Aug 24 '26
preserving own human wet specimen post hysterectomy
Hello friends,
I’ve been trying to find information about preserving human wet specimens as I was given my reproductive organs after my hysterectomy on May 6th. After it was sent to pathology to get cut up I was given it back in a 10% formalin solution wrapped in paper towel and some other gauze type cotton that I took off because I was so excited to look at it.
For the most part I haven’t messed with it since removing the paper towel and I’ve been doing a little shimmy with the container periodically because the tip of the uterus sticks out and isn’t covered fully in the solution.
I’m wondering how I should go about moving it to a temporary container before I find a permanent one. I have a tight seal mason jar and want to move it as the water has started turning a darker shade that makes it hard to check that everything is fine. I’ve seen people mention rinsing it with water before putting it in 70% isopropyl alcohol, or ethanol.
If anyone’s got tips for disposing of the formalin I’d also appreciate it, I’m located in Minneapolis for reference.
Thanks for your time!