Surgery-Induced Menopause

All women eventually have to go through menopause. Also known as "the change of life," menopause ends the ability to reproduce and usually happens naturally to women during the middle-age years when hormones shift. Sometimes menopause also is triggered by surgery; this type of menopause has some differences when compared to natural menopause.

Identification

• Surgery-induced menopause occurs as a result of the surgical removal of the female reproductive organs (hysterectomy). It occurs because the removal of the reproductive organs impacts levels of hormones within the female body. The main difference between natural menopause and surgery-induced menopause is the gradual versus sudden drop in hormone levels, specifically testosterone and estradiol.

Prevalence

• Hysterectomies that result in surgery-induced menopause often are performed as a result of trauma to the uterus or a medical illness such as cancer. Because these issues can occur at virtually any stage of adulthood, women can experience surgery-induced menopause even if they are very young. This contrasts with natural menopause, which usually does not appear in early adulthood.

Considerations

• Some doctors elect not to remove the ovaries when they perform a hysterectomy--they remove only the uterus. A woman may not experience surgery-induced menopause if the ovaries are left intact because the ovaries continue to affect hormone production. The decision whether to remove the ovaries is based on the physical condition connected to the hysterectomy.

Symptoms

• The symptoms of surgery-induced menopause are nearly identical to natural menopause. The noticeable exception is hot flashes, which tend to occur more often. This problem can be helped with estrogen replacement therapy. Additionally, if the ovaries are left intact and surgery-induced menopause does not occur, it is common to experience natural menopause up to a year earlier.

Dangers

• Surgery-induced menopause is associated with several dangers. First, it lowers the levels of "good" cholesterol in the body, making a woman more susceptible to problems such as stroke and heart disease due to blockage of arteries. Second, those who experience surgery-induced menopause appear to have a higher rate of bone density loss. Professionals speculate that this higher rate may be because those who go through natural menopause have a chance to lose bone mass more gradually over time. Lastly, those who have surgery-induced menopause may be more prone to the symptoms of depression because, unlike with natural menopause, they are thrust into menopause without a chance to adjust. The change in hormones may affect the ability to maintain a state of happiness.