6 weeks recovered after hysterectomy & want to enjoy sex with my hubby again

Hello hystersisters! I'm new here and have been reading articles on this site for a month now. I had a complete abdominal hysterectomy on Feb. 21st so I'm 6 weeks into my recovery. I went to the doctor Monday and got the all clear and was sent home with Premarin pills and cream to start HRT. I was having headaches daily and some sweating here and there. I'm taking the pill to see what it will do for me. They only sent 7 five pack samples home with me and 3 boxes of the cream and no prescriptions. My doctor said if I don't have any complications he will see me in a year. It looks like there's only 1.5 months worth of the pills. Is that all I'll need? Do I try the cream once they run out? They sent me home with a big tube of lubrication after we talked about having sex again. Hubby was very patient with me and all but it HURTS so bad. It's like I'm really small and he's really BIG. This is a different kind of hurt from when I had Endometriosis. How in the world are we going to be able to have regular sex again?

I talked with the nurse today and she said I need to call them when I'm down to 5 pills so they can call in my prescription. The doctor only gave me those few packs to see how my body responds to the pills. As for the cream she'll call back tomorrow to see if I'm supposed to use that in conjunction with the pills. Tried sex again with hubby. It was a little better using a lot more lube than the first time around. I'm thankful to have such a patient and gentle man.

It's good that you were able to talk to the nurse to get some clarification.

The Premarin pills are your systemic estrogen, which will help with hots flashes, night sweats, moodiness, etc. The cream will help to promote internal healing and can also help with dryness/atrophy, which in turn can help make intercourse more comfortable. Chances are your nurse will get back to you to say that you can take the Premarin pill along with using the Premarin cream. Let us know what you hear, okay? In the years since my surgery, there have been times when a personal lubricant wasn't adequate and it was necessary for me to use a vaginal estrogen along with my systemic estrogen. That may be the case for you as well.

Thanks April for helping me make sense of what both are for. I had no clue because I was thinking they were equal. Once I hear back from the doctors office I will post what the nurse said. I'm so glad to be here among those who have been where I'm going.

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Originally Posted by April Dawn The Premarin pills are your systemic estrogen, which will help with hots flashes, night sweats, moodiness, etc. The cream will help to promote internal healing and can also help with dryness/atrophy, which in turn can help make intercourse more comfortable. Chances are your nurse will get back to you to say that you can take the Premarin pill along with using the Premarin cream. Let us know what you hear, okay? In the years since my surgery, there have been times when a personal lubricant wasn't adequate and it was necessary for me to use a vaginal estrogen along with my systemic estrogen. That may be the case for you as well.

I just heard back from the nurse and just as you said I need to use them both for the reasons you described. I have to use the cream at bedtime. Thanks again.

Thanks for the update!

In case it wasn't mentioned to you, to avoid exposing your husband to the vaginal estrogen, be sure to use it after intercourse.

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Originally Posted by April Dawn In case it wasn't mentioned to you, to avoid exposing your husband to the vaginal estrogen, be sure to use it after intercourse.

No I wasn't told that. Thanks for letting me know

You're welcome!

I ended up having to go in to see my doctor today. I was having major headaches daily and some pressure in my vagina whenever I went to urinate. I'm now off the cream and down to taking a pill every other day. He said my body may be taking in too much estrogen. Other than that everything looks fine. I still get a little tired in the middle of the day and need a little nap. Besides some soreness I have some twinges here and there but was told it's nothing out of the norm. I'm understanding it could take 6 months or more to completely heal.

I went in to see my PCP today about the major headaches I was having daily. Two weeks ago he suggested I take 400 mg of Riboflavin daily because it could be migraines if not related to the Premarin. The headaches have improved and last less than 15 min. I was told to stop taking the Vitamin E-oil orally because of health problems I could develop from it. He wants me to cut my Fish oil supplements down to 2 a day instead of 3 because it could raise my cholesterol. The soreness and twinges I had seems to have died down. Sex is much better but I'm wondering if we need to move up to more than once a week to help with the dryness/tight feeling in my vagina.