Hysterectomy Side Effects

I have known for years now that I do not want to have children, and do not foresee wanting them in the future. I have been researching hysterectomies (I want to keep my ovaries), and some of the side effects listed are:

* heart disease
* osteoporosis
* bone, joint and muscle pain and immobility
* loss of sexual desire, arousal, sensation
* painful intercourse, vaginal damage
* displacement of bladder, bowel, and other pelvic organs
* urinary tract infections, frequency, incontinence
* chronic constipation and digestive disorders
* profound fatigue
* chronic exhaustion
* altered body odor
* loss of short-term memory
* blunting of emotions, personality changes, despondency, irritability, anger, reclusiveness and suicidal thinking


some of them sound plausible, but some of them sound like "let's talk the poor dear out of it" hype.

Have anyone here had a hysterectomy? If so, I would love to hear first-hand what effects and experiences (good and bad) the surgery had on you and your body.

My Aunt had one and she said that she would do it again if she didnt have to menstrate. She said her periods where worse then the mood swings.

Do you have a medical reason to warrant having one?
I would weigh out the pros and cons and seek out alternatives.
I guess it all depends on why you are contemplating having one.

I talked to my doctor about having one (for dysfunctional uterine bleeding). I decided not to (I have had past surgeries and decided it wasn't worth the risk of increasing my problems with adhesions.

I also considered a Mirena IUD (releases hormones to decrease bleeding). It's really meant to be a method of birth control, but it was discovered to be good for treating fibroids and lightening up heavy periods too. I tried a homeopathic progesterone cream and have had good results with it (my periods are more regular, and my anxiety level has decreased).

Have you considered the much less invasive tubal ligation? In many cases, they can make a very small incision in the navel and perform the surgery on an outpatient basis. You would still have all the benefits of a hysterectomy without all the icky possible side effects. I had mine done in 1990 and have not regretted it at all.

some of them sound plausible, but some of them sound like "let's talk the poor dear out of it" hype.

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Actually all of them are what some women have experienced. I have a really good website for you to check out if you have an interest in other people's hysterectomy experiences (the good, the bad, the ugly, LOL):

http://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/index.php?

I also agree with gayef, I would really think long and hard about having such an invasive surgery when there is a much less invasive procedure already available that would suit your needs, tubal ligation. (I also had one, back in 1993...no problems whatsoever) I would think it unethical, to be frank, for a doctor to perform one for a woman who merely does not wish to have children.

Funny thing is that 'displacement of bladder, bowel, and other pelvic organs' is listed as a side effect...because that, bladder and uterine prolapse, is precisely why there will eventually be a hysterectomy in my future. After much research, I do not look forward to it...and will not have it done until I can no longer live with the symptoms.

It definitely is a necessary procedure in many cases, but I would not take the risks of such a major surgery without an existing problem.

Originally Posted by poohandwendy

Actually all of them are what some women have experienced. I have a really good website for you to check out if you have an interest in other people's hysterectomy experiences (the good, the bad, the ugly, LOL):

http://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/index.php?

I also agree with gayef, I would really think long and hard about having such an invasive surgery when there is a much less invasive procedure already available that would suit your needs, tubal ligation. (I also had one, back in 1993...no problems whatsoever) I would think it unethical, to be frank, for a doctor to perform one for a woman who merely does not wish to have children.

Funny thing is that 'displacement of bladder, bowel, and other pelvic organs' is listed as a side effect...because that, bladder and uterine prolapse, is precisely why there will eventually be a hysterectomy in my future. After much research, I do not look forward to it...and will not have it done until I can no longer live with the symptoms.

It definitely is a necessary procedure in many cases, but I would not take the risks of such a major surgery without an existing problem.

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Thank you for the link. That was exactly what I was looking for. There are two main reasons that I want to do this.

Wow, i just had to look up how old you are!

well what ever it is for i hope it all goes well.

Given your age, I doubt you'd find a doctor willing to recommend this surgery for you. I understand you have a couple of reasons for wanting one, but I have to agree with gayef - is there a less invsive surgery you could have done? To me a hysterectomy is a last resort kind of option.

I have not had one, but I know people who have. You might want to consider that one of the problems with having one as sterilization is that any side effects you have could seem more intense to you because they aren't solving a physical problem. For example, one of my older sisters had one. She does experience some side effects, but she said because she was in so much pain before she had it done that the issues she has now are minimal in comparison. If you're in good health now, though, any side effects you might have could seem more severe to you.

Tubal ligation is much less invasive, both the surgery itself and its aftereffects on your life. I very much doubt you will be able to find a doctor who will recommend a hysterectomy, and even getting a tubal ligation at your age may be very difficult.

My mother had one as a medical nessesity.

She now has heart disease and has an implanted difibrulator (heart disease does not run in our family).
She has advanced osteoporosis which led to a broken/replaced hip.
She has a very weak and overactive bladder.
She recently had her bladder prolapse.
She's had short term memory loss almost from the first decade following.

And add all the menopausal problems as well.

This is not something I would ever consider unless medically warranted.

Having had both a tubal ligation and a subsequent hysterectomy, I can comment on both procedures.

No ethical doctor is going to remove a healthy uterus. When I had my tubes tied, in 1979, I was in and out of outpatient surgery within three hours. I had a couple of days of discomfort, due to the carbon dioxde gas pumped into the abdominal cavity. I have to search for the two tiny scars, which are aproximately 1 cm long.

In 1990, my Pap test and subsequent biopsy caught a very early malignancy and I opted for a hysterectomy. This necessitated a 3-day hospital stay. My only "complication" was an inability to urinate, for the first day, due to swelling. 24 hours, with a catheter (ugh) took care of that. We also found out that I am allergic to morphine.

Rather than the projected 8-week healing time, I was able to resume ALL activities, three weeks post-op. I have had none of the above-listed complications.

If your sole reason is contraception, I would recomend to TL. It is much less invasive, less expensive, has a shorter recovery time and has a lower risk of complications.

Whatever your decision, good luck.

I had a mine done when I was 36 and it freed my life up completely.

I used to have horrible pain every month, had cervical cancer in the early 1970's, had to have my daughter by caesarian in 1980 and had more pain and suffering every month thereafter. I finally had a complete hysterectomy done (doctor told me they would have to go back in to get the ovaries later if I didn't get it done all at the same time) and my life has been wonderful since.

I have had none of the side effects mentioned and feel and look much younger than my 60 years. (At least that's what I'm told.) I also take HRT and have no problem with that. My cancer specialist told me my chances of getting breast cancer from HRT are probably 1% higher than someone who does not take HRT. The good things about HRT far outweight the 1% IMO.

I've had a man tell me that his wife having a hysterectomy destroyed his marriage - from my experience I think his marriage was in deep trouble long before the operation.

I'd do it again in a heartbeat and have some friends who agree with me - it gave me back my life.

I had to call my Aunt late last night and she agrees with others that the pain she was in was awful and it was distroying her life. She said she could not go anywhere longer then 5 min because with 2 pads and a ultra tampon she would make a mess. She was on meds for the bloat and the migrains that came every month. She bleed 8-9 days a month every 3 weeks. She said after the kids birth they got worse and worse. She found out that she was losing to much blood when she had to have a infusion and the doctor there said do you want more kids she said nope and he said well how about a histo and he explained it and she said go for it. That was 30 years ago allmost and she said she is better. She said she is really healthy. The doctor told her to take supplments if she felt she wasn't getting enough. She said yes she wears panty lines but heck she had 7 kids. Sometimes she gets moody but said that is ok it is her and hubby and he deserves to be chewed out onse in awhile

Well,I had my hysterectomy 8 weeks ago, and some of the side effects that could happen were making me naseous reading, so I'll stop there. All I can say is I'm happy I did it. What will be in my future will be.

I had a hysterectomy in '93 because of cancer. I don't believe I have any side effects. I still have my overies. I still experience PMS. The disturbing thing is I don't know when it will happen.

Seriously, unless there is a medical reason why you want a hysterectomy, just get the tubal ligation.

Originally Posted by CommonOddity042

* heart disease:no, and if it develops, it'll be because I've smoked since I was 16
* osteoporosis: some loss of bone mass (jaw), but that may be age, as I'm 48
* bone, joint and muscle pain and immobility:no
* loss of sexual desire, arousal, sensation: no
* painful intercourse, vaginal damage:some vaginal dryness
* displacement of bladder, bowel, and other pelvic organs:no
* urinary tract infections, frequency, incontinence no incontinence, but I have to be careful not to let my bladder become too full, so yes as to frequency
* chronic constipation and digestive disorders:no
* profound fatigue: no
* chronic exhaustion:no
* altered body odor:no
* loss of short-term memory:no
* blunting of emotions, personality changes, despondency, irritability, anger, reclusiveness and suicidal thinking.:no PMs, so generally more "stable" than before

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I had a medically-indicated hysterectomy in 2002, and I definitely wouldn't recommend it as "elective surgery". Although it was originally supposed to be done as "keyhole surgery", that proved to be impossible during the OP, because I had abdominal adhesions, and I got the full hip to hip cut three days later. Although I was up walking around two hours after the surgery, my recovery was incredibly slow - I was still experiencing pain a full year after the surgery (the doctors originally said it would take 6 weeks, then 3 months, then 6 months....) My ovaries were left in, and I apparently am still a couple of years short of menopause, so that has to be taken into consideration when discussing side-effects.

My mom, three of my aunts, and both grandmothers have had hysterectomies because of severe endometriosis. They are all glad they had it done, but only because it was the only way to treat the severity of their endo. My aunt took about 8 weeks to recover, she is in her early 50's. My mom and another aunt had hysterectomies before 30 and still suffer the side effects because of it. The side effects from having the hysterectomy are better than those from the endo. I can't imagine ever wanting to have such a serious surgery for purely elective reasons. That just sounds nuts to me. The pain is pretty bad and it takes a long time to heal. The effects on your hormones can be pretty bad. Hysterectomy is something I have thought a lot about because I also have endo and I'm 26, which is two years older than my aunt when she had the surgery and two years younger than my mom was. I want to keep my uterus as long as I can. I sure as heck did not want kids even a year ago, but since I've had four ob-gyns tell me that if I want to ever have kids I should do it asap I've changed my mind and now want at least one. This is coming from a girl who even on this website said I would never, ever want kids maybe just 8 months ago. Now that infertility is really an issue I want at least one.

If you really want a good method of contraception that will make sure you never get pregnant I suggest a new method which involves a coil that is placed in your fallopian tubes, scaring them permanantly.

http://www.essure.com/

Everyone will naturally be different as to side effects, etc.

When I had mine, I was up and around the next day, rolling up my hospital bed (moving carefully and not over-doing it) while the woman in the bed across from me was moaning and groaning and constantly calling the nurses in because she was in pain and wanted a private room and did they not know her husband was the top lawyer in Toronto, etc., etc., etc. Finally, because the nurses were so busy with other patients, I went across the hall to the refrigerator and got her a drink of juice. I told her she'd be better the next day and she said, "What do you know, you didn't have a hysterectomy!". I told her that I actually had had mine done the day before. She was astounded that I was up and around.

The doctors want you up and moving now - it helps in the healing process as long as you don't overdo it.

So, bottom line, it really depends on your threshhold of pain as to how painful it will be. IMO, it was no worse than my appendectomy. I did take the full 10 weeks off work though - doctor's orders.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

I did take the full 10 weeks off work though

- doctor's orders.

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Ten weeks! I originally got a "sick note" for one week, but it was extended for another week because of all the steps I had to climb both to get to work, and at work. My main problem was the adhesions. The ones I had before the surgery reappeared, and I got new ones to boot.

It definitely should be a decision of last resort. I had a cousin who had to have one done because of medical necessity. Unfortunately, there was nerve damage done during the surgery. She was in terrible, terrible pain for the next 20 years until she finally committed suicide in her late 40s.

This is serious surgery and you should weigh the potential benefits vs the potential risks. If it is just for contraception, then the Tubal Ligation will work and has fewer risks.