Impending hysterectomy at age 36! Yikes!

I am 36 years old. I will be having a full hysterectomy in one week for the prevention of cancer (BRCA2 positive with strong family history of hormone-receptive breast and ovarian cancer, including early death from ovarian cancer).

That being said, I have a couple of questions for those who have know a thing or two about hysterectomies at a young age:

What non-hormonal options are there for treatment of surgical menopause symptoms (hot flashes and the like)? And of those options, are there any that do NOT come with the common side effect of drowsiness? Include, please, any experience with non-chemical therapies.

How long after surgery can I expect the “menopausal” symptoms to start presenting? Days, weeks, months?

How long *on average* does it take for a young woman’s body to adjust to the lack of estrogen, and symptoms (such as hot flashes) to lessen? Weeks, months, years? Until she's 55?

I'm 40 yrs old, and started menopause last yr when I turned 39, the same age as my mother. I had my hysterectomy on the 12th and feel the same as I did prior to surgery in regards to my menopause symptoms. My advice would be to talk to your family members. I decided not to take HRT because what it did to my mom and grandma. I know its not the answer your looking for, but I have found that families are good for stuff like this.

I will be the first female in my family to go through "surgical menopause", so there's not really anyone to ask about this.

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Originally Posted by gweneviere I will be the first female in my family to go through "surgical menopause", so there's not really anyone to ask about this.

Might I suggest you ask a similar question on the hormone threads. The ladies ther will probably have better answers for you as far as surgical menopause and natural remedies are concerned.

Sorry that you having to go through this. I am 32 and had my hyster las week, but kept both ovaries. You have found a wonderful place for support through this journey.

Thanks, I'll try there!

I kept both of my ovaries but they never woke up after surgery. I started experiencing hot/cold flashes, night sweats and insomnia about a week and a half after my surgery. I waited until about 8 weeks after surgery before I started hrt as I couldn't take the insomnia any longer. I tried melatonin for the insomnia, it just simply did not work for me. I could live with the hot/cold flashes and night sweats but not the insomnia. I didn't try any other natural remedies.

Thanks, Jenny!

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Originally Posted by gweneviere Thanks, Jenny!

Anytime. Good luck.

Talk to your doctor about this.
I was not able to get HRT because I was prone to cancers and the doctor said that long term use of HRT's is not allowed.

I have experienced a lot of the "instant menopause" symptoms.
These started about 3-4 months after my hysterectomy.
My hair has gotten brittle, my skin is dry and wrinkled, and my nails are thin and breaking all of the time.
Insomnia every night.
My family has a history of heart disease and diabetes, so diabetes came on quite suddenly after my surgery. I am told that I no longer have hormonal protection against heart disease.

That being said, my libido is good and my former panic attacks are now non-existent. I am grateful for that.

I am convinced that someone like you with your family history is doing the right thing by having a hysterectomy.

Good Luck.