Can menopause happen during hysterectomy?
I was reading the message board one day and a comment was made a person could have started menopause during the hysterectomy. How would one know if this happened?
If the ovaries are removed at the time of hysterectomy, a woman ALWAYS goes thru menopause. This is the cause of menopause, ovarian failure or removal of the ovaries.
In a woman who is NOT having the ovaries removed at the time of hysterectomy, let's say age 35, you would not normally expect her to have symptoms of menopause after the surgery.
The exception would be because:
- she had naturally become menopausal, i.e., the ovaries stopped functioning on their own either shortly before or shortly after surgery.
- Sometimes an ovary has only a small number or eggs (follicles) left, i.e., it is on its "last legs", the stress of surgery can actually cause menopause a few months to perhaps a few years (just a guess, not scientific) earlier than it would normally have occurred.
I was very warm off and on after surgery while in the hospital and had 1 or 2 night sweats, woke up soaking wet. I caught bronchitis while at the hospital so it could have also been fever, I don't know. My doctor said they injected me with a lot of hormones at the hospital and I started the estrogen pills three days after the surgery so time will tell.
Either your doctor removed your ovaries at the time of the surgery (surgical menopause) or they thought you had already undergone menopause at an earlier time and now they are just replacing the estrogen by mouth that your ovaries were once making.
Weight gain after hysterectomy
I had my hysterectomy last month and all went well during the surgery. My doctor said the one fibroid was so large it was like delivering the head of a baby. I also had my ovaries removed. Now at home, recovery is a piece of cake with no real pain to speak of. I am trying to walk to build strength. The part that amazes me is how tired you get!
I read about gaining weight with hysterectomy. I sure hope not. At 43 I have been struggling already! I am taking Premarin. The doctor said most side effects are caused by the hormone progesterone. Please let me know about the weight gain and taking hormones.
Unfortunately, weight gain takes place after hysterectomy just like it does after most elective, uncomplicated surgeries that don't involve the bowel.
During recovery, which averages 6 weeks but really isn't normal until 6 months, most people expend much less calories than when they are not recovering from surgery.
With the exception of the first week in which they may lose weight, there is a net weight gain tendency since most people eat at the same rate they were used to before surgery.
If you are expending only 350 calories a day less than you were before surgery, you will put on a pound every 10 days -- permanent weight. If this keeps up for 90 days (because you are being careful not to strain much) that is almost 10 lbs.
Hormones can play a small role. Estrogen by mouth can cause salt retention which in turn causes fluid retention and thus weight gain. It shouldn't be more than 3 lbs., however.
Progestins can stimulate appetite but after a hysterectomy most women don't need to take progestin after the uterus is gone.
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