Menopause after full hysterectomy?

Hi.

I have a question about what happens after the surgery. I am having both ovaries removed as well as the uterus and cervix. Will I get all the menopausal symptoms like hot flushes etc? Will I have bleeding immediately after surgery? or does it stop completely?
I am unsure as to when I am going in for the op but I have been put on the list for cancellations so it could be anytime soon.

Hi Toffee,

Yes, you will go into "surgical menopause."

Some surgeons will have a patch put on you in surgery, others like mine, will wait until you are up and moving around due to the blood clot risk that pelvic surgery as well as estrogen can cause.

I lost my ovaries during surgery-unplanned-but occured due to endo we did not know that I had.

I started on my patch after I got home from the hospital. Before I put it on, I was having night sweats and crying spells. I wanted to test the waters before I used it and felt so much better after I put it on.

A sudden change like this can be very upsetting.

Best wishes in your surgery.

Sweet Pea in SC
TAH w/BSO due to giant fibroid uterus weighing 1238 gms. Found endo and adeno resulting in BSO. Cervical tip retained. Vertical incision. On Vivelle Dot and doing well.

My doctor put the patch on me before leaving the hospital, the morning after surgery. She wanted to make sure that I DID NOT have any weird reaction to the patch before she sent me home. I have not had any hot flashes and such, but my ovaries were pretty much not working anyway before surgery.

Everybody is different, so it's hard to say exactly what you will experience. I am 14 weeks post-op and I still have not had any hot flashes. I am not on any HRT at this time. I don't know if I just got lucky, if my ovaries weren't working to begin with, or if I have some extra estrogen stored up somewhere, but I'm not complaining! I had some bleeding/spotting after my surgery for 6 weeks. Good luck.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Here I Go Everybody is different, so it's hard to say exactly what you will experience. I am 14 weeks post-op and I still have not had any hot flashes. I am not on any HRT at this time. I don't know if I just got lucky, if my ovaries weren't working to begin with, or if I have some extra estrogen stored up somewhere, but I'm not complaining! I had some bleeding/spotting after my surgery for 6 weeks. Good luck.

I'm the same way, I may be a little more irritable and I get a warm flush that lasts for a second or so that sometimes I wonder if I just had one or that it's too hot down here. Other than no bleeding (yay!) I have a hard time realizing that I had surgery.

Thanks so much for your replies. Its good to know there is support out there for us if we need it. Thanks.

I am 7 1/2 wks Post Op after TAH/BSO had to wait until 6 wk for HRT.
Started on Femseven 75mcg patch yesterday(will try patches before pills first), had been experiencing Menopausal symptoms prior to surgery as I was on 2 mths Zoladex.
During the 6 wks I was having a few hot flashes during the day but quite a few Night sweats which disturbed my sleep, not had a proper nights sleep for the last 16 weeks so hoping the HRT works as I cannot be tired when I return to work soon,I am taking the HRT for bone protection aswell as other things doctor is monitoring me over the coming weeks.

Elaine x

Dear treacle:

You didn't mention what symptoms or diagnosis has made your doc recommend a hyst. Are you a candidate to keep your ovaries?

No, I can't keep my ovaries. They are badly damaged. I've been suffering with ovarian cysts for years. I've always had really heavy periods since I first started getting them. They have gradually got worse over the years. I've had laparoscopy and hysteroscopy. They found adhesions and many cysts. I have also had bleeding from the cervix. After years of putting up with this, I was due to have another laparoscopy but when I went for the surgery, I saw the top surgeon. He read all my notes and said it was very clear to him that I needed to have full hysterectomy because the damage was so bad. He didn't want to put me through an unecessary surgery so he has booked me in for the hysterectomy. I am relieved now. I can't tolerate the pain anymore. I have constant pelvic pain and low back pain and the pain during and after sex is horrendous. In a way I am looking forward to having the surgery to put an end to all the pain.