Sex .... ASAP?

I found this article on the web... and wanted to know your thoughts.... it makes sense....

http://www.mothernature.com/Library/...ooks/62/50.cfm


Resume sex ASAP. Try to have sex as soon as you can after the surgery, says Dr. Williamson. She recommends that women wait 10 to 14 days for the incision to heal. Part of the healing process after surgery is the development of scar tissue, and if women wait too long, the scar tissue in the pelvic cavity and around the vaginal incision can become very tough, making sex more uncomfortable, she says. Having sex can minimize the scar tissue toughness, because the area gets increased circulation and expands during engorgement.

"We would like women to resume intercourse, gentle intercourse, between the two- and four-week period, if possible," she says. Women should try to have sex at least twice a week until the healing process is complete, she says, which can take as long as three months.

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I just asked my Dr.'s nurse and she said "wait at least 3 more weeks". I'm 2 weeks post op.

I think it increases the chances of a post op infection big time to start that soon, and it also increases the chances of women getting hurt (damage to the vaginal cuff) due to a Partner, even when they are tyring to be careful....people do get excited and things do happen.
I think a outercourse clitoris orgasm creates enough blood flow and engorgement to help along with the healing of the vaginal cuff and to minimize the scar tissue toughness without increasing the risk of infection through partial penetration. JMO though!...plus I can tell you from having a vaginal cuff infection post op, it wasn't fun. Very painful and makes you feel like you have the flu, and a 3 day stay at the hospital for it wasn't fun either!

Sorry, I don't buy it. The only physician to give *you* (or any reader) permission to have intercourse is the surgeon who's care you are under.

Having sex before cleared by your personal physician increases the chances for infection in the incisions (in the vagina), increases the chances for tearing of newly cut tissue (in the vagina), or simply undoes the healing on the newly formed cuff.

HysterSisters.com website discourages all from following the instructions on the link above.

Talk to *your* surgeon and follow his/her instructions regarding hysterectomy post-op to make sure you have the best recovery possible.

Want more info? Search hystersisters.com and read through the scary stories of members who had sex before they were cleared and the complications sometimes caused.

I read the article Bluegal posted the link for. It was interesting, however, I was confused and maybe someone can clear things up for me. The article spoke about women who had a hysto and did NOT have their ovaries removed having menopausal symptoms. I thought the point of keeping the ovaries was to postpone menopause b/c your body is continuing to produce hormones. Did I not read that right? (I'm still having the anesthesia air-headedness!)

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Originally Posted by mmullin4 I read the article Bluegal posted the link for. It was interesting, however, I was confused and maybe someone can clear things up for me. The article spoke about women who had a hysto and did NOT have their ovaries removed having menopausal symptoms. I thought the point of keeping the ovaries was to postpone menopause b/c your body is continuing to produce hormones. Did I not read that right? (I'm still having the anesthesia air-headedness!)

its true that even when you keep your ovaries there is a chance they will fail, thats something your doctor should have told you before surgery! but its not always true. and that article is talking about women between the ages of 39 and 41, not every woman. this is something you should speak to your doctor about if it concerns you. i kept my ovaries and they seem to be working just fine. i'm sure yours will to

that was the ONLY article that I found that promoted sex ASAP.... all the others I've read have clearly stated wait 6-8 weeks....

The way the article made it sound is if you wait that long the cuff wont stretch ---- is that true? I know my vagina has been shorted because my cervix was removed.... so... am I doomed to have a shorty????

I'm curious too!

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i kept my ovaries and they seem to be working just fine. i'm sure yours will to

Unfortunately, none of us has a crystal ball, so we cannot predict whether another woman's ovaries will continue to function properly after a hysterectomy if she keeps them. Therefore, it's important to understand going into a hysterectomy, even if it's planned to keep the ovaries, that early menopause or surgical menopause are risks of the surgery.

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The way the article made it sound is if you wait that long the cuff wont stretch ---- is that true? I know my vagina has been shorted because my cervix was removed.... so... am I doomed to have a shorty????

Balderdash! Whether or not the healed cuff can stretch has everything to do with how healthy the vaginal tissues are, which can be influenced by hormone levels locally... that's why many of us use some form of vaginal estrogen indefinitely after a hysterectomy (kept ovaries or not).

I was told by my DR to wait 6 weeks after my TVH (cervix removed), A&P repairs and BSO. I actually ended up waiting longer due to a complication which made penetration impossible for a while and which had to be fixed surgically. I'm plenty "stretchy"


-Linda

I am two weeks and four days post-op. Yes I an curious (and somewhat anxious I might add) to see if everything works. But since Dr. Williamson is not my doctor, there is no way that I would consider taking her recommendation (unless I had shown it to my doctor first and she agreed with it). My doctor told me to wait 4 weeks... and I am going to do exactly that. I will probably even call her office first just to be sure that I still have her "blessing". IMHO our own doctors know us the best.

Mmullin4, I kept my ovaries and I don't think that I am having any hormone issues (but honestly, those around me would probably be a better judge of that). I have read that sometimes it takes a while for our ovaries to "wake up" after surgery, and I asked my doctor about this at my first post op. Given my nature, it is probably hard for my doctor to distinguish between my "normal personality Anna" and a "hormonally imbalanced Anna". I am on the look out for signs of problems, and I do keep asking my DH for his opinion on this. I think that he is probably a better barometer than I am right now. Maybe that, in itself, is a sign ??? I better call my doctor again.