SILS/LESS Good outcomes for managing surgical menopause? (Upcoming hysterectomy May 2nd)

So, I've been trying to find some encouraging recovering stories on here about dealing with the surgically induced menopause and seems all I find are horror stories. This has me a bit worried.

Here is a little bit about myself:
I have recently been diagnosed with extensive complex hyperplasia with atypia as well as cells conducive to uterine cancer. I have been struggling with hyperplasia for MANY years and had a few D&C's in the past, the last one done on 4/4/14. I am scheduled for a complete hysterectomy, including fallopian tubes and ovaries on 5/2/14. I am very scared about the effects this will have on my body after the surgery. I have been reading the forums and have not read ANY success stories of people who are thankful they made this choice, or even any advice on how to deal with symptoms. I am terrified of HRT. I am depressed that my child-bearing years will "officially" be over come May 2nd, even though the hyperplasia has prevented us from having more children anyway. The finality of it through the surgery is a little hard to bear. I have been bleeding continuously for over a year, but within the last 5 months it got horrific. Even after this last D&C, I am still bleeding. We tried progesterone therapy but my body did not react well to it, so stopped it. I am trying the Prometrium now however in hopes it will keep the bleeding at least a bit slower until my surgery. I would really love to hear of some encouraging stories on how some of you women got through the symptoms of surgical menopause. Thank you for taking the time.

Hi j_young to HysterSisters -

I was rudely dumped into surgical menopause at age 46 after my TAH BSO. For me, surgical menopause was like falling off a cliff. I was MISERABLE with 25 hot flashes a day, night sweats, insomnia, and the worst wool blanket brain. I went to my GP and said HELP! She put me on low dose oral estrogen (bio-identical) and I got my life back. While not the same as my natural hormones, it is much better than being without. In addition, it is much better for my health to be taking this than not. I now plan to take this for the rest of my life.

One problem can be to get the balance right. I was lucky, and the first dosage tried worked just fine.

Do not let the negative press scare you. It did me at first, and I avoided going on HRT until it was too unbearable. Everyone is different, and the risk factors of going on should be weighed against the risks of not going on with your doctor.

Also, your depression over losing your child bearing years by force is very understandable and normal. It is so hard to loose this intimate part of you. You are not alone.

Keep in mind that people who are posting about problems are the ones with problems. The ones who are doing fine are out and about living their lives. Everyone is different. Just because you are reading about people who had trouble doesn't mean you will.

I had a hard time finding a type of estrogen that my body would absorb, but even I am starting to finally feel better. It can be managed. Don't worry too much about it ahead of time. Concentrate on the immediate recovery first. Is your Dr. planning to start you on hrt right after surgery? Are you planning to wait and see how it is first? What have you decided? A bit of thought - enough to have an initial plan is a good way to start managing this. I won't lie to you - it is a big thing, but it can be done.

Thank you for the encouragement. My doctor does not plan on giving me any HRT for at least 6 months with the intent of letting my body be estrogen free and to give it a chance to heal. And he even said it might not even be necessary. But, I know I struggle with hormone imbalance (that's why I am at this point, right?) and depression and mood swings especially after a pregnancy, so I can only imagine what it's going to be like after surgically induced menopause! I've spent so many years trying to stay away from estrogen and keep it in check, and now by body is going to be thrown into no estrogen! I feel like I have to re-educate myself all over again to deal with this new stage I'm entering....how to increase estrogen (hopefully naturally) and balance the progesterone, etc...It's overwhelming....

I was on Lupron for 5 months leading up to my surgery. For me, menopause state actually made me feel better than I had in years. My hot flashes and sweats were not so bad and I decided I could live my life with the few symptoms I had compared to a lifetime of chronic pain I was suffering. I won't do HRT...and I heard Estroven is a wonderful vitamin supplement for manging mono pause. My doc even told me to try that before hormones (if I ever got to that point).
I got to keep one ovary...so now its a wait and see since Lypron takes around 3 months to wear off.

I had an LAVH/BSO in March last year because of atypical complex hyperplasia. I had a fairly uneventful recovery. At 51 I was still having regular cycles, so I was plunged in to immediate menopause. I use a product called Remifemin (black cohosh) for hot flashes. I think it works cos I don't really suffer with them. Maybe a couple a day, but they're certainly not unbearable. I have been on antidepressants for years so my moods are very stable anyway. I use vagifem pessaries and coconut oil for vaginal dryness. I take a few different vitamins to optimise my health but all in all feel great. Good luck and hugs to you.

I am ten days post openly from a tab/both ovaries ,cervix ,lymph nodes I spent 9 days in hospitAl my dr said you have enough hormones for about 3weeks. I'm not a candidate for hrt. I am going to try to do it naturally with oils and herbs my dr. Also recommended a naturopathic dr as well . He also wanted me to wait because you just never know how You are going to feel sometimes people take stuff to soon and didn't let their bodies try to balance out alittle on its own

I was put on hrt patches the day after surgery with the advice that I need to stay on hrt until I am 50 (I am 42). Not had any problems in fact feel better without the ups and downs of my mood due to my cycle. My mood is better and life is good x