menopause & hysterectomy (fibroid)

Hi sistas,
Hope every1 is doing well!
Just wondering, has anyone had a hysterectomy who have gone through or was going through natural menopause. This is another question for me to ask my doctor too...but since estrogen levels decrease during and after menopause then the fibroid, in my case a very large one, should stop growing or maybe even reduce in size(?) and removing the fibroid would be unnecessary. Thanks for your input!

I am 54 and had a total hyst, two weeks ago. i also should have been going through meonopause, had night sweats years ago and still the fibroids were not shrinking in fact, they found more than they thought i had when i had the surgery. so i have no idea, i to was waiting for menopause to kick in never did and fibroids were still growing.

Hi Minxy!

Welcome to HysterSisters! I hope you are finding the site helpful and support!

I saw in your introductory post that you are aware of at some of the options besides a hysterectomy for treating fibroids (myomectomy, UFE, MRgFUS). If you would like, you can check out our Fibroid Resources to learn more about fibroids and the various options for treating them. Then you can take notes and hopefully refresh your mind regarding all the information your doctor had shared at your appointment! It can be so easy to have information overload when multiple options are being discussed!

You might also want to consider checking into non-surgical options like Lupron.

In theory, a fibroid should shrink as estrogen levels decrease. However, sometimes things don't go quite as planned so knowing your options is wise!

Whatever you decide, I do wish you all the best! I hope your ultrasound in November offers you more information to help you with your decision!

I went thru menopause 10 years ago (I'm 56). My fibroid was found 2 years after. It continued to grow. And it turns, last sono in 2006, the path report showed I actually had a second one. They were actually in the uterine wall, not on a stalk as was shown on the sono and a CT scan. Now, the first was slow growing.
Had I found this website sooner, I may have made different decisions. Unfortunately, the insurance didn't help.

Think carefully and look into all the options.

Hi Minxy58,
I have had fibroids since I was 37. They did grow, but slowly. I will be 55 in less than 2 months.
I have seen several GYNs and am now on my 3rd GYN because the other 2 either moved or decided to do research. The GYNs that I have stayed with have given me the options of either monitoring the fibroids or having a hysterectomy (I have had 2 other GYNs insist that I have a hysterectomy).
I have been in menopause (reached naturally) since 2007 and my fibroids do seem to be shrinking slowly. I have also been told that they will only shrink to 50% of their size. I have been fortunate in that I have not had problems with the fibroids.
Of course, each woman has a different experience with fibroids. As suggested, do research on the different options that are out there for dealing with fibroids. Besides coming up with a list of questions to ask your Doctor, take a notebook with you so you can write down what the Doctor tells you, as it can be hard to remember everything they tell you. Repeat back (or read your notes out loud) what you have been told to make sure you understand what they are telling you. Again, every woman has a different experience with fibroids, and with menopause.
Wishing you the best as you try to decide what to do next.
J.

This is just a solidarity post, I guess. I am 57 and discovered last January that I have large fibroids; and at the same time natural menopause started! I spoke to 3 doctors and decided to follow the advice of the interventional radiologist, who said that if he were I he would wait for 6 months and get another MRI, just in case they begin to shrink. He said he has seen women in their 70s & 80s who clearly had large fibroids earlier in their lives, but they had shrunk greatly as time went on. Although the MRIs are not fully covered by insurance, they show more detail than the sonograms, so that is what I'm doing.

However, although the fibroids are large I am not in great discomfort. If I were, I may have decided to do something sooner.

Thanks for feedback everyone. I really appreciate your input and advice. Also after participating in the roundtable discussion (exploring hysterectomy options) I have decided to get a 2nd opinion before my CT scan in Nov. And after 2 years Auntie Flow came back for a brief visit last week-oh joy! Thanks again for all of your support!