Depression and surgical menopause

I have a question regarding depression and menopause. I am going to have TAH/BSO on 3/14. I have a history of clinical depression and am on antidepressant therapy right now. Should I be expecting major symptoms of depression? I think more than anything, that is what scares me the most of the whole issue of this major surgery. Any help would be so much appreciated.

Hi,

I am having a TAH/BSO on March 23 and have the same issue as you do. I have severe depression and my medication is my life saver! After I found out I needed the hysterectomy I started to feel depressed and overwhelmed. I too was worried about being thrust into a major depression. And, as you know, that is something that CANNOT happen. I went to my family doctor to talk to him about the situation. I asked him if he could up my dose as sort of a preventative. He thought that was a good idea. He said that after the surgery if I am feeling OK I can drop back down to my normal dosage. It has helped with the weepiness and has made me a little more relaxed about recovery. I know that there is no way to know for sure what will happen afterwards, but upping my dose has comforted me. Best of luck to you as I absolutely know how you feel.

BTW-- I normally take 75mg of Effexor, but have gone up to 150mg. My doc says that the 150mg is the average adult dose. Effexor has been a miracle drug for me!



Jill

Jill--

Thank you so much for your input. I have increased my dosage of medication and hopefully that will help. I am so relieved to know someone else is in the same boat as I am. Since I am having my surgery first, I will post a message when I get home to let you know how I am doing.

Kathy

Katyliz, You don't mention the reason for BSO. Is it prophylactic or do you have a condition which dictates that the ovaries need to go?

Pearle--

I have a massive fibroid tumor on my left ovary and smaller one on my right. I have been having horrible periods with lots of blood loss and intense pain. Every month when I ovulate, I am down with a heating pad on my tummy because the pain is so intense. My doctor and I discussed what should be done and we both were in agreement to take both ovaries. I also have a history of precancerous cells in my cervix when I was in my early twenty's that resulted in part of my cervix being cut out. So, I guess you can say it is both treatment and prophylactic in nature.

I was also thinking about the depression that I already have and what it will be like afterwards. I think I will be better though afterwards. It's got to be better without all the pain. Maybe that's a good way to look at it.
Paula

I hope so too. Now that I have just talked about it with sisters who understand where I am coming from helps tremendously.

Katyliz, Sorry about your chronic ovarian pain. I think you are wise to explore how the surgery might affect your depression.

I am fortunate in that I do not suffer from depression. I need to let you know that I am not depressed now. I did become depressed after my surgery. It is very difficult to figure out why, I think a combination of things contributed to mine. I had 2 surgeries and one procedure done under general anesthesia within the space of 1 month and also became physically dependent on my pain meds. The withdrawal alone causes severe depression. All of my normal resources were depleted. I did not expect my menopausal symptoms to worsen. They did and big time. Poor me, I felt like a train wreck. I am fully back on the track now though. Hooray!

How old you are will partly determine your hormonal needs after your surgery. I would not wish a surgical menopause on anyone. If it were me I would look to save at least one ovary if possible. It is very difficult to predict how an individual woman will respond. Some women fly though it and are happy campers, while others (like me) really have a tough time.

I never heard of fibriods on the ovaries till I started reading this site. There are so many "exotic" problems out there. A second opinion on your problem would not hurt as you cannot undo the surgery.

This article sums up the reasons to try to conserver your overies if possible.
Rational for Ovarian Conservation by Donna Shoupe MD