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Old 09-14-2022, 08:42 AM
 
Location: Wonderland
67,666 posts, read 60,184,669 times
Reputation: 100994

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I had a complete hysterectomy at age 40 due to precancerous and stage 1 cells lining my uterus. I also had cysts on my ovaries so I had them removed as well.

I am now 60. Overall I am VERY happy with my decision. However, I do want to caution you about one thing: Apparently for me, part of orgasms that was very important was the contractions of the uterus, which I no longer have. So orgasms have been less earth shattering. I could live with that but it was a surprise to me.

I love love love not having a period though.

I had one hot flash, just one, right after the hysterectomy. Never had one since. I was on an estrogen only patch for several years but weaned off it by age 47 or so. I get a complete blood count every year and still have estrogen in my system.

My skin and hair and all that look fine.

Oh, my hysterectomy was transvaginal. I stayed in the hospital for several days, but mostly because I had a very negative reaction to the anesthesia, which was a surprise to my doctor and to me. I felt weaker than I usually did for a month or so but was able to resume a pretty normal life by the week after the hysterectomy. I do remember lifting a full coffee carafe though and thinking "Wow, I am pretty shaky!" This was right after I got home from the hospital.
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Old 09-14-2022, 09:21 AM
 
Location: Virginia
10,044 posts, read 6,309,362 times
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I had a complete hysterectomy at age 43 due to several large fibroids. Went in the hospital on a Tuesday and was discharged on Friday. Although I did wear an HRT patch I still went through menopause, which was
annoying at work (I'm extremely fair and would turn red as a beet from hot flashes). Normally I wouldn't have had my ovaries out, but I had previously had Cushing's Disease, and my gynecologist felt I'd probably have issues later on anyway given that my menses had ceased for 7 years while I had my brain tumor. I did take some time off work since I had a long commute; otherwise, I still did housework (against Dr's. orders) as usual. I didn't miss having a period at all!
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Old 09-14-2022, 12:17 PM
 
Location: colorado springs, CO
9,512 posts, read 6,013,286 times
Reputation: 28830
Quote:
Originally Posted by WRM20 View Post
Talk to the doctor about the possibility of removing the fibroids, rather than the entire uterus. That's what my wife had done. She didn't know she had fibroids until she got pregnant at 40, and nearly lost the baby when one of the fibroids became necrotic from growing too fast. 3 months after delivering our son, she had 6 fibroids removed, one of them was 7cm. That was 20 years ago, and she's had no more issues. Removing the fibroids made her periods livable and less painful, and the cramping she had had for years disappeared.
I grew fibroids so large after my tubal ligation that they were as big as a 6 month gestation fetus. I had the tubal reversed & the fibroids removed. Problem solved. The fibroids never came back & the bleeding/clotting resolved.

I am very grateful to have figured out the root cause of my fibroids & heavy, clotting periods & to have treated that, instead of just removing my body parts. There are cells inside the uterus that help keep women healthy. The ovaries can release as many hormones as possible but if those uterine hormone receptor cells are gone (or cut off from the egg) there can be problems.
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Old 09-14-2022, 12:45 PM
 
Location: Mayberry
36,333 posts, read 15,930,222 times
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I had a hysterectomy at 28. Had tubes wrapped around ovaries and ovaries were size of grapefruits. They saved one ovary which was removed a few years later, went into instant menopause, was on Hrt for a few years. The recover was easy, they said 6 weeks but I recovered more quickly, except vacuuming and changing sheets. Easy breezy. I had a partial, vaginally, cervical cancer, then surgery to remove everything else. No periods since I was 28 and I'm 70.!
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Old 09-14-2022, 03:43 PM
 
5,575 posts, read 3,002,180 times
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I had PID at the age of 52, and had a complete hysterectomy. Since I was already going through menopause...the hysterectomy just finalized things, so to speak. I have no complaints.
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Old 09-14-2022, 11:13 PM
 
Location: Somewhere in America
15,479 posts, read 15,503,505 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by melaniej65 View Post
Schuttzie

The ultrasound may not reflect the true number or size - perhaps she might ask if the Dr. could order a CT or MRI.

What happened to me is not very common, thankfully the procedures tend to work out just as expected.

Wish your daughter good luck for me.
I second this! My internal ultrasound showed 1 polyp. There were dozens of small polyps on my uterus and they were precancerous. They were causing me a lot of problems including anemia that was killing me.
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Old 09-14-2022, 11:15 PM
 
Location: Somewhere in America
15,479 posts, read 15,503,505 times
Reputation: 28452
Quote:
Originally Posted by WRM20 View Post
Talk to the doctor about the possibility of removing the fibroids, rather than the entire uterus. That's what my wife had done. She didn't know she had fibroids until she got pregnant at 40, and nearly lost the baby when one of the fibroids became necrotic from growing too fast. 3 months after delivering our son, she had 6 fibroids removed, one of them was 7cm. That was 20 years ago, and she's had no more issues. Removing the fibroids made her periods livable and less painful, and the cramping she had had for years disappeared.
She's lucky. For many women they grow back.
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Old 09-15-2022, 08:48 AM
 
5,575 posts, read 3,002,180 times
Reputation: 14042
Quote:
Originally Posted by KathrynAragon View Post
I had a complete hysterectomy at age 40 due to precancerous and stage 1 cells lining my uterus. I also had cysts on my ovaries so I had them removed as well.

I am now 60. Overall I am VERY happy with my decision. However, I do want to caution you about one thing: Apparently for me, part of orgasms that was very important was the contractions of the uterus, which I no longer have. So orgasms have been less earth shattering. I could live with that but it was a surprise to me.

I love love love not having a period though.

I had one hot flash, just one, right after the hysterectomy. Never had one since. I was on an estrogen only patch for several years but weaned off it by age 47 or so. I get a complete blood count every year and still have estrogen in my system.

My skin and hair and all that look fine.

Oh, my hysterectomy was transvaginal. I stayed in the hospital for several days, but mostly because I had a very negative reaction to the anesthesia, which was a surprise to my doctor and to me. I felt weaker than I usually did for a month or so but was able to resume a pretty normal life by the week after the hysterectomy. I do remember lifting a full coffee carafe though and thinking "Wow, I am pretty shaky!" This was right after I got home from the hospital.
I forgot about that. Yeah...that was different, not in a good way. LOL Still...all orgasms are good. lol
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Old 10-06-2022, 08:07 PM
 
6,066 posts, read 14,988,859 times
Reputation: 7188
Trupsraj / OP are you still following this thread? How are you doing? Have the replies helped? I will share my experience in case it helps, because it sounds similar to what you shared. My doctor was able to perform a vaginal hysterectomy because my uterus and fibroids had not grown too large yet, so I was very blessed and very grateful for being able to do that option instead of having to go through my abdominal/stomach area. Once your uterus or fibroid grow too large, you won't have the vaginal option and so the procedure is more involved and recovery time is longer and more painful. My uterus was about the size of a 12 week pregnancy (less than 300g but close to it) when I had my surgery. Any larger or if I had waited any longer and I would have had to do one of the other options. I'm so glad I didn't wait so that I had the vaginal option.



With my vaginal hysterectomy my doctor removed my uterus, cervix, and parts of both of my fallopian tubes. I was able to keep both my ovaries thankfully.


My surgery was in the morning, lasted about two hours, I then spent a few hours in the recovery room sucking on ice chips and receiving fluids while they monitored my oxygen and blood pressure and I received massage on my lower legs to help prevent blood clots. Then by 5 that same evening they sent me home! So I was in and out in one day. I was only in the hospital from about 7am until 5pm.


I feel so much better and love not having to worry or cope with periods anymore. I love being able to travel and not worry about periods and being able to wear white without worries. Also my stomach is back to being flat instead of starting to show the bump from the fibroids and the enlarged uterus. Clothes fit better and most importantly I feel better. I took all my tampons to work and left them in the ladies room for others to use. (You will still need your pads for a bit as the stitches and things heal. I didn't have any bleeding at all but the stitches do come out and some women do bleed after for a bit especially if they've kept their cervix, every woman is different.)



So far no menopause symptoms or hot flashes or anything like that. I have heard that sometimes if ovaries do not find a new blood supply then the ovaries can fail and you go into early menopause. I haven't had that experience.


I love the hystersisters website and found lots of supportive info there. I did buy a belly binder because so many people there raved about them, but I haven't found that I want to use it or needed it. Perhaps it's more for ladies who had the other types of hysterectomies where they go in through your stomach. Since mine was vaginal, I just don't feel like the belly binders were doing anything for me aside from making me stiff and itchy.


I started taking miralax the day after the surgery because I was afraid of becoming constipated and also afraid of my first bowel movement after surgery. I didn't want to "push" at all. Miralax does the trick!


If you have questions talk to your doctor. Make sure you have a good doctor, that can make all the difference from what I hear. Ask around your female coworkers or friends - I was so surprised to find out how many other women around me had already had hysterectomies. I'm not old and I had no idea that women my age and younger were having them so often. I think the average age for having one is 45?



Good luck to you and I hope you feel better soon.
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Old 10-08-2022, 08:25 AM
 
Location: Minnesota
1,199 posts, read 643,807 times
Reputation: 3004
My life changed drastically after my hysterectomy, but the difference may have been because of having both ovaries removed also. I was 33 years old and had endometriosis. Removing my ovaries was my surgeon's choice, not mine. I had no clue what surgical menopause was going to be like for me. Had I kept my ovaries I am sure I would be singing a different tune.

I had so many symptoms from surgical menopause I had to go down to part time work and I was desperate for relief. Went to four doctors before I found one willing to really work with me to find an HRT regimen that would work and actually help me. I had migraines (never had in my life before), mood swings, brain fog, profound fatigue, memory loss, body aches, joint and muscle pain, worsening hypothyroidism, hair loss, body fat redistribution, intense hot flashes and night sweats, insomnia, crying spells, chronic nausea, you name it. The correct dose and type of HRT helped rid of most of those symptoms and has helped me function better (though not perfect). But now doctors want me off all hrt because I am 50. Sighs. My bone density took a nose dive also, though I am now on osteoporosis meds which have helped reverse some of that to an extent.

I developed anorexia nervosa a year or so after my hysterectomy and ovary removal. I was 36. Never had an eating disorder before that. I was severely underweight for six years and over 15 years later still struggle with my eating disorder though more stable and barely weight restored. Again, I am betting if I had kept my ovaries I would not have felt so out of control in my body and it might not have triggered the eating disorder. but who knows. I say take the most conservative approach first and work your way up if it doesn't work. I had tried Lupron before, various hormones, nothing else. No surgeon would just remove the endometriosis and preserve my sex organs because it was extensive and I didn't want kids (and still don't have any). Its easier for them to just take it all out and they get paid more. And then there are the insurance issues. Hysterectomy and ovary removal were all paid for. The laparoscopy I had one year post everything out to remove more endometriosis off my bladder that was missed was not 100% covered, nor has my HRT been. In fact I have spent $$$$$ on HRT over the years, some not covered by insurance.

I've heard mostly positive stories from women who kept ovaries and had uterus removed but there are a few who go through early menopause because blood supply to ovaries is interrupted or something like that.
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