Post Hysterectomy

What physical and mental changes should a woman expect post hysterectomy? It would be inaccurate, downright untruthful to tell a woman that her body would be the same once she has undergone a hysterectomy. In the most extreme circumstances a woman will find herself immediately in the throes of menopause. Even a woman who undergoes a less severe form of hysterectomy will find that her body will have changed in some ways.

The recovery period post hysterectomy will vary depending upon the type of operation that was performed and the reason it was performed. Rehabilitation may take as little as a few days and as long as two months. During this period, a woman will stay in close contact with her doctor. She should refrain from heavy lifting and make sure to get lots of rest. Back and/or leg pain as well as pain during urination should be reported to her physician. Swelling, nausea, fever, dizziness and incision leakage also merit immediate calls to the doctor. Should a woman experience consistent depression she needs to discuss this with her doctor as well.

Assuming that a woman is now free of disease she will be able to resume work at the end of the recovery period. However, it is after her body has healed from the actual surgery that a woman may first feel ongoing physical and mental changes post hysterectomy. A hysterectomy in which only the uterus was removed (known as a supracervical or laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy) commonly produces the fewest side effects. There may be some decrease in orgasm and some laxity in the pelvic area but few other post hysterectomy symptoms have been noted. A vaginal hysterectomy removes both the uterus and the cervix (referred to as a total hysterectomy). Loss of the cervix may result in vaginal dryness and decreased sexual desire. Since in these operations the ovaries and sometimes the cervix remain post hysterectomy, it is important for women who have undergone these types of procedures to strictly adhere to testing for ovarian and cervical cancer.

A hysterectomy performed abdominally may be either a total hysterectomy or it may be a hysterectomy during which other reproductive organs are removed. When an ovary and fallopian tube are removed the operation is called a salpingo oophorectomy (if both are taken out it becomes a bilateral salpingo oophorectomy). Abdominal hysterectomies may cause a larger array of post operative symptoms. If even one of the ovaries was left intact, surgical menopause may not be induced. However, post hysterectomy the blood flow to the remaining ovary or ovaries may diminish which can lead to ovarian failure which will bring on menopause. If a bilateral procedure was called for surgical menopause begins immediately.

The symptoms of surgically induced post hysterectomy menopause are much the same as those of natural menopause: Hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain, vaginal dryness, decreased sexual desire and orgasm, depression, fatigue. They may even be slightly more severe when menopause occurs as a result of hysterectomy. Post hysterectomy women may also be more prone to osteoporosis and cancer. For that reason they should remain in close contact with their physicians. Just reading the list of symptoms can make a woman disheartened. The additional sadness a woman may feel at no longer being able to bear a child is best addressed by the woman’s medical team and whatever support group they may feel she requires.

Despite whatever symptoms a woman may feel post hysterectomy it is important to remember that most of the signs will fade away over the next two to three years. In the meantime, there are many therapies which may alleviate some of a woman’s post hysterectomy indications. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may be an option for some women. Other women may choose natural remedies for their post hysterectomy symptoms. Many women believe that a regimen of vitamins, herbs and natural hormones delivered via creams is helpful. All women can receive some degree of relief from appropriate exercise and proper diet. Life post hysterectomy will be different; that does not mean it has to be worse.