Kept Ovaries but Discovered Hot Flashes - Hystersisters Hysterectomy Article

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Kept Ovaries but Discovered Hot Flashes

Kept Ovaries but Discovered Hot Flashes

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I had my hysterectomy about three months ago. I kept my ovaries because they were fine, but I think I'm having mini hot flashes. They happen throughout the day, but mainly at night. I've always been a "cold" person, but now I'm pretty warm most of the time. Is this normal?

Sometimes the ovaries stop working temporarily as a result of a hysterectomy. It’s as if they go into a bit of a shock and stop producing hormones for some time. Or, damage may occur to the ovaries’ blood supply, causing them to malfunction. When your ovaries are not producing enough estrogen, you’ll experience mild menopausal symptoms until the ovaries normalize again. Temporary ovarian shutdown usually lasts for a few weeks to a couple of months.

Occasionally, the ovaries will shut down permanently after a hysterectomy, even in younger women, for no apparent reason. If this happens, you’ll go through surgical menopause now. Surgical menopause can hit a woman harder and faster than natural menopause, and it can be particularly difficult to deal with for a woman who kept her ovaries in the expectation that she would avoid menopause altogether for some time to come. Some studies suggest as many as 50% of women who undergo a hysterectomy, and retain their ovaries, will have them cease to function within five years. The good news with that is that even if they do shut down, they will continue to provide us with small amounts of those much-needed hormones, easing the transition into menopause to some degree.

If you suspect that this is what is happening, ask your doctor to check your FSH levels. You can manage menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, sleeplessness, vaginal dryness, etc. with prescription or over-the-counter remedies in the short term. If your ovaries don’t come back, though, you may want to explore the idea of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). There are positives and negatives associated with HRT, so do your research and get a second opinion before proceeding if that’s the direction you decide to go.

This content was written by staff of HysterSisters.com by non-medical professionals based on discussions, resources and input from other patients for the purpose of patient-to-patient support.

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Find A Doctor Near You

Clifford Rogers, M.D. The Everett Clinic, Dept. of Surgery and Gynecology 1330 Rockefeller Ave, Suite 120 Everett WA 98201 425 339 5424	Marshall Bovelsky, M.D. 200 Banning St Suite 320 Dover DE 19904 302-674-0223	Richard W Farnam, M.D. 1700 N. Oregon Suite 520 El Paso TX 79902 9155335600
John Lenihan, M.D. 314 ML King Jr. Way Suite 104 Tacoma WA 98465 253-403-5432	Megan Daw, M.D. Western Carolina Women's Specialty Center 2100 Ridgefield Blvd Asheville NC 28806 828-670-5665	Geoffrey Bowers, M.D. 834 Chestnut Street Suite 300 Philadelphia PA 19107 215-955-5000
Bruce Pierce, M.D. 2 Princess Road Lawrenceville NJ 08648 609-896-0777	Debra Richardson, M.D. Gynecological Oncology Clinic - SW Med 2201 Inwood Road Suite 106 Dallas TX 75390 214-645-4673	Mayra J. Thompson, M.D. 5323 Harry Hines Blvd Dept OBGYN Dallas TX 75290 214-645-3888

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