whats the deal?

Okay, I have a question for some reason I can't find an answer to. If you have a hysterectomy and DR leaves one ovary...will you still have periods? Will you go into menopause? I have heard different answers and I really would like to know this.

Thanks a bunch!

Traci

Hi Traci! That depends...

If you keep an ovary, and it is functioning, you will still cycle. Sometimes the ovary may shut down for a while after a hysterectomy; this is because when the uterus is removed, the uterine artery is no longer available to supply blood to the ovary. There are other, smaller vessels still there, but they may not be adequate. If they aren't, the ovary may re-establish a new blood supply and start working again once there's adequate blood flow, or it may not be able to. And in some cases, whether or not the ovary initially shuts down, it may stop working earlier than it would have if you hadn't had a hysterectomy.

So, if you have a working ovary, you will have cycles, which means you will probably still have PMS, if that was an issue for you before the surgery. However, if your cervix is removed, you won't actually have 'periods' in the sense that you won't bleed. If you keep your cervix (in a SAH or LSH), you can have "mini-periods"... how much you would bleed every month varies with the individual.

If your ovary is not working, or if you have both ovaries removed, you will go into surgical menopause. There's plenty of info on that over in the Hormone Jungle forum on this site!

I'm sorry I can't give you a more definite answer than that, but I hope it helps!
s,
-Linda

That is a good question that's not always clear. After a Hysterectomy your uterus is gone. It secretes some hormones, but is always where periods come from. You won't have periods anymore and you cannot get pregnant. With no ovaries you will go into immediate surgical menopause. With one or both ovaries left you may or may not go into menopause. Your ovaries will still secrete needed hormones only if they are still functioning and not shocked by the surgery. If they are left, they may start up again in a few months after they and your body heal. They should keep functioning for several years or until you reach menopausal age. My gyn likes to leave the ovaries if he can. He told me if you are 45 or over I have to have a good reason to leave them in. 40 and under I have to have a good reason to take them out. I'm forty with a family history of ovarian cancer. I'm leaving it up to the good dr. If they are healthy and not stuck to anything in there, he will leave them in.