Surgical Menopause

Hi,
Scheduled for TAH +/- BSO, Aug 11. Doc said that he may had planned to leave the ovary to help me thru menopaus cos I'm fairly young (37) but has said it depends on how bad the endo is and he may take it out and I'd have to start HRT. Question is - do I have to do HRT? Been reading a few posts and need to know what surgical menopause is like. I always that that if you didn't have the ovaries, then menopause wouldn't occur. Been too much info on the news lately about HRT not being that great an option. Now I'm totally confused.
Any opinions?

Thanks.:hair:

Wow... I am surprised no one has replied yet. Good thread.

I kept my ovaries so I am not a good authority on HRT.

From what I have read on the forums, after ovary removal a Hyster Sister goes on HRT immediately. Maybe you are a candidate for more bioidentical hormones?? Do not know much about them but they are talked about.

Menopause occurs with ovary removal since the ovaries are no longer present to ovulate eggs or secret female hormones.

Good Luck. I hope a hostess posts some HRT links for you!!

Hi,
I am due to have surgery on the 2nd Aug, they will be taking my ovaries. I have spent several months researching & talking to my local womens health service. What I have concluded is that,
generally women who go into surgiccal menopause (who are not of menopausal age ie: 40+) need something to get their bodies over the shock of hormone withdrawal. Unfortunately those with endo cannot have estrogen hrt straight away.
Bio identical hormone therapy (BHRT) seems to be the safest alternative for us. Some patches available are BHRT, checkout www.surgimenopause.com they have a list of bio & non bio drugs available (very informative site). Conventional Drs dont have a problem pescribing for the patches.
It can take many months of "tweaking" to get the balance correct for you.
A blood test & saliva test sometime after your surgery will be helpful in indicating which hormones & how much you may need.
If you have a Dr who will pescribe for compounded hormones all the better,
it has been suggested here to have the creams seperately rather than all together ie: 1 tube progestin, 1 tube estro & 1 tube testosterone. This is so it is easier to figure out which one is having an effect (good or bad) thus making the "tweaking" more effective.
It can take some months for the BHRT to take effect & you may need to persevere for a while,
ALWAYS keep your Dr informed, about how you feel.

This is MY OPINION only, I cannot guarantee that what I have said is true & correct but is what I feel is "right".
If I have erred in any of these opinions pls feel free to let me know.

All the very best for your surgery

Glasga Lass,
Sorry have just reread your post, due to your endo, you wont be able to have HRT for a while any way. So most of what I just wrote wont be of much help to you.
But please checkout Surgimenopause site as it is very good, will help you understand what may happen.

Cheers

If they have to remove both ovaries you are instantly in surgical menopause. I am 48, so the surgeon said that if you're my age, you probably only have about five years or so left before menopause. So, they automatically want to take your ovaries during a hysterectomy. But, both of my ovaries were filled with cysts, so they had to be removed anyway. I'm 23 weeks post op today.

I am currently on the Vivelle Dot and also was given vaginal estrogen cream for dryness. I'm doing okay. I still feel pain when I overdo it. But, I'm easing back into my exercise routine which thrills me to no end.

Good luck to you!~Moonchime

Hi There!

I have done a lot of research on surgical menopause, and found that our Resources Department has many good web-site links. To access Resources, click onto it on the top of this page (second line from the top). My personal favorite is "Survivor's Guide to Surgical Menopause" but there are other informative sites as well.

You have quite a bit of time before your surgery to do some research....so my advice to you is to read, read, read. The more informed and educated you are on the topic, the better prepared you will be to work with your doctor to make the best decisions for you.

Best Wishes and Many s to You!

I'm 39 and have a 50/50 chance of keeping one ovary. I'm tempted to tell her to take it anyway, just so there's no risk of being told I need more surgery years from now. Even if they leave one or both ovaries in there is still no guarantee that that will help. If they are not receiving adequate blood supply they'll be pretty useless, and the ovaries aren't the only things that produce estrogen. I have no intention of taking HRT if it comes to that. When doing your research to decide what's best for you, check sources from all over. This HRT phenomenon is strictly a western society problem. There are women in other parts of the world for whom this isn't even an issue.

Just my $0.02

Hi, I'm 43 and had planned to have both ovaries removed - doc found ando (sp??) and cysts would have had both removed anyway. Since that was the plan I read up on HRT and my doc and I decided I would start immediately after surgery. I used Climara patch for 3 months with no problems. Then patch wouldn't stay on and incorrect dosages caused dizziness and crying at the drop of a hat. Tried oral estrogen and hated it. Metallic taste in mouth from day one. Now on Vivelle dot and feeling almost like my old self without pain and discomfort. Stay informed lots of info out there - I found this site after surgery but local library, other women and doctor were really helpful in helping me make the decision that I felt was best for me. Just my Good Luck to you. I find the horomonal jungle site really helpful as well.

Since endo feeds on estrogen, your doctor may want to hold off on any HRT for a while. In the meantime, you might want to visit the No Hormone Desert Oasis for suggestions by other members as to what helps with their menopause symptoms.

	Quote:
Originally posted by historylady From what I have read on the forums, after ovary removal a Hyster Sister goes on HRT immediately.

Whether or not to start HRT is up to the patient and the doctor. Not all women choose HRT, but instead seek alternatives. As mentioned on this thread, women with endo generally don't start HRT until several months after their hysterectomy. If you're interested in ways to compensate for no HRT, you'll probably find this link helpful:

https://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/sho...threadid=12626

Wow! Thanks everyone for all the info and the sites - I plan on surfing whenever I get time - have 6 weeks to go so I should be well informed. I'll probably go armed with prints of everything to my pre-op admissions clinic and drive them nuts. hey, it's my body...


Cat
TAH +/- BSO, Aug 11/04