New & Concerned

I am 35 years old, I have birthed 4 children, step-mom to 5 and soon to be a grandma of 1 boy. I have had severe cramps when mother nature rolls her ugly head each month for close to 5 years and they progressively are getting worse! The bleeding and passing of blood clots are causing my entire life to revolve around the locations of restrooms wherever I go. Finally I scheduled an appointment with a GYN in the area. Ultrasounds, pap, bloodwork, etc. was performed and I discovered I have a small fibroid in my uterus. After reviewing my option with my doctor we have decided a LSH is in order. My ovaries and cervix will remain intact. The fibroid is small but he said the uterus is enlarged significantly. My main concerns for my Oct 30th surgery are not the actual surgery at all but what happens afterwards. I am concerned about intercourse following the healing of this surgery...changes for the female, what I mean is if I will still have an orgasm or will the size and shape of my vagina change? Any comments are appreciated!!

From everything I have read, questions I have asked, (and some have been pretty darn personal), the answer is YES you will still enjoy your sex life.
And seeing as you are keeping your ovaries and cervix, you 'should' have less to deal with than someone having a total hysterectomy. It was the women that had a total hysterectomy that I asked these questions to because any of the stuff I had read about the big o being lost had to due with women who had their cervix out. BUT as it seems, that is not quite reality either. MANY women still have the 'o' even after their cervix is removed.

I appreciate your comment, it makes me feel a little more at ease!!!

I'm having a LSH on Thursday. I will be losing my ovaries but the cervix will remain. My dr. highly recommends this since I've not had much trouble with my cervix and he says it helps to peserve the integrity of the pelvic floor (I think that is how he said it). He also said it help with sex - no loss of sensations. Also, it suppose to help with vaginal dryness.

I know there are women who have had their cervix removed and said nothing changed for them sexually (my sis in law is one).

There are no guarantees of course, everyone is different, but I had a total hysterectomy and kept my ovaries. I can still have an orgasm and my husband hasn't noticed any difference at all. One thing to ask your doctor about is mini-periods. You can still have a light period if you keep your cervix and at least one ovary. I wanted no part of that. It doesn't happen to every woman but you should know it's a possibility.