Margaret Thatcher in hospital after operation

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Suzanne Plunkett / AFPFormer Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on June 8, 2010.By NBC News wire servicesFormer British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, the country's first  woman elective leader, is in hospital recovering from surgery to remove a  growth on her bladder, a source close to the family said on Friday.

Follow @NBCNewsWorldAfter  experiencing pain in her bladder earlier in the week, the 87-year-old  went to hospital where she underwent a minimally invasive operation, Tim  Bell, a public relations executive who once served as image maker to  Thatcher, said.

"The operation was completely satisfactory.  She's now recovering in hospital and as soon as she's recovered she'll  go home," Bell said.

Known as the "Iron Lady," Thatcher, who  stepped down in 1990, embraced free market policies, challenged trade  unions and privatized many state-owned companies during her 11 years in  power, polarizing British voters.

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