Vaginal cuff stitch questions: when are they supposed to dissolve after hysterectomy?

Ok, so I know some woman don't see them disolve, but when are they supposed to? Like should they be gone by 6 weeks? 8 weeks? I have seen where a lot of woman have lost some around 3 weeks, but at 4 my doc said I still have mine. ( except for the "hole" in my cuff anyway)
Do they have to be gone before being cleared for intercourse? When the doc checks your cuff at around 6 weeks and releases you for sex, what exactly are they looking for? How do they know cuff is healed?
I go back to doc Friday for my 6 week , and I'm praying the hole in my cuff us gone and I'm healed up. How often does it take longer then 6 weeks to heal?

I am 7 1/2 weeks out, i have one running stitch which is still there but i was cleared for all activities. My doc said 8-12 weeks is not unusual.

The sutures dissolve anywhere from a few weeks to a few months depending on the type of suture material used. Different surgeons may use different material depending on the patient or their personal preference. If you request a copy of your OR report from the hospital it should indicate the suture material. I did not see any of my stitches come out, and I was really watching for them. They were gone by my 8 week follow up though. You probably won't want to have sex if you're stitches are still there, as they will poke your DH's penis and possibly even cut it. The doctor will look for the stitches to be gone, and the cuff to be healed up and having no granulation tissue. Since you have a hole in the cuff, you will likely have longer restrictions.

Fingers crossed that the hole has healed without another surgery!

I didn't relize that different suture types resulted in different healing and falling out times, thats good to know. I checked the OR report, and it said '' Using 2-0 V-loc suture, the cuff was closed with a running suture...''

I never saw any sutures and was released at 7 wks.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by brandys0524 I checked the OR report, and it said '' Using 2-0 V-loc suture, the cuff was closed with a running suture...''

Try googling that suture type and see if any info comes up on it. Hopefully you will find something that indicates when they dissolve.

I had a tvh and started passing stitches just after the 6 week mark. I didn't pass alot, maybe 5-6 during that week. I can tell you that I felt alot better after though. I was having alot of pelvic pain and pain when sitting. Once I started seeing stitches, the pain I had been feeling pretty much went away.