A little over a week post op, questions?

I have so many questions, like what is a vaginal cuff and how will it affect me? Will my sex life be the same? I had a total abdominal hysterectomy but they left my ovaries, the reason I had a hysterectomy was because I had alot of scar tissue from my 3 previous c-sections and they were causing alot of pain, I also had a ball of endo in my incision site that was removed. I would just really like to know what to expect from this, and what I should know. Thanks so much.

Think of the vaginal canal as a cup, your cervix as the bottom of an apple sitting just inside the lip of that cup, your uterus as the majority of the apple sitting above the cup and the ovaries as the stem and leaves of that apple. When you have all that removed all you have is this open cup. The take the edges of your vagina and sew them together so that it is now a sealed passage. Where they sewed it together is called a vaginal cuff.

If they took your cervix then you may have less lubrication than you used to have. OTC lubrication like K.Y. jelly and others help make that transition a 100% better.

Very well put, Skylady!
Shaunrae, make sure you follow the restrictions that your doctor gave you post op. It's important you let your cuff heal properly. As for sex, many people have different experiences. Personally sex feels a little different, but not in a bad way. I notice no difference in the length of my vagina or with my natural lubrication. DH says it feels just the same to him. It actually is a little better having the cervix gone because it was painful when DH bumped it during sex. The orgasm is still there but not as intense for me as before because I can no longer feel my uterus contract. Some women say the orgasm is better after surgery. Keep reading on this site and you will see lots of posts from women in this subject. Happy healing :-)

Thanks I was thinking it was some sort of artificial cup thing that they sewed inside of me, that explained a lot. I did have my cervix removed also, So pretty much the only sexual difference will be the lubrication?

	Quote:
Originally Posted by sugarandspice Very well put, Skylady! Shaunrae, make sure you follow the restrictions that your doctor gave you post op. It's important you let your cuff heal properly. As for sex, many people have different experiences. Personally sex feels a little different, but not in a bad way. I notice no difference in the length of my vagina or with my natural lubrication. DH says it feels just the same to him. It actually is a little better having the cervix gone because it was painful when DH bumped it during sex. The orgasm is still there but not as intense for me as before because I can no longer feel my uterus contract. Some women say the orgasm is better after surgery. Keep reading on this site and you will see lots of posts from women in this subject. Happy healing :-)

This may sound a little stupid, I'm still trying to understand this whole hysterectomy thing, but once I'm all healed up will I have to worry about any bleeding or spotting?