Pills I will take AFTER Hysterectomy?

I will be having a hysterectomy with ovaries and fallopian tubes removed in about a week. (a LAVH and BSO) I have already been through menopause (I'm 50) and the reason they are removing the ovaries is due to a cyst they have found on one ovary which is 5 cm and another smaller cyst on the other ovary. I was diagnosed with breast cancer just a few months ago and am still undergoing chemotherapy for that. I will not know if these cysts are cancerous until after the surgery.

What I am wondering is if I will have to take some sort of pill daily for months or years after this hysterectomy? I believe, but am not sure, that if you have not been through menopause yet, you then will take hormone replace pills for months or years after a hysterectomy. Since I have already been through menopause, then I will not need these, correct? or is there some type of pills that I will be taking? Thanks for any info. I appreciate it.

My concern is that my insurance is great, but I have very bad prescription coverage. Thanks for your help.

Yolanda

I'm not taking anything. I had my surgery a week after I turned 54.
Doc said that I could take a very low does of HRT if my sleeping didn't get better, but I decided against it. We have had too much cancer in the family.
Sleeping still hasn't improved much but I just deal with it and carry on.

I was already menopausal when I had my tah/bso and was started on hrt ( estrogen only ) the following day. Each person is different, though, some take hrt and some don't . My dr explained that even after menopuase, the ovaries continue to produce - just at a reduced level.

It can vary depending on the reason for the hysterectomy. This is something that you should research and discuss with your dr. Then you can make the decisions that are best for youself.

Best wishes.

S

Hi Yolanda If you've already been through menopause naturally (not just due to the chemo), you may or may not experience symptoms after your ovaries are removed. If you do, you'll want to consider how severe they are and consult your DR about hormonal and non-hormonal remedies to treat them, depending on what your oncologist's stand is on HRT after breast cancer. Some DRs allow it, and some don't.

There are a lot of helpful links to information on hormones and breast cancer in both the Hormone Jungle and Breast Health sections of our Resources Directory. They may help you in discussing your choices with your DR.

Kudos to you for thinking this through ahead of time! Good luck with your upcoming surgery.

s,
-Linda

Hi Yolanda,
You will certainly want to speak with your Dr. on this one! A close girlfriend of mine had breast cancer and chemo which put her into "medical" menopause. Due to the cancer whe was not allowed any HRT. I know their are considerations you and your physician would want to discuss prior to making any decisions. She has utilized several homeopathic methods to control the effects of the estrogen loss and is doing remarably well.

My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Blessings,
Judy