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Hysterectomy & Early Menopause

A hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus. If the ovaries are left intact, this procedure will not induce menopause although menstrual periods will stop. However, removing the ovaries during hysterectomy can result in early menopause.

  1. Surgical Menopause

    • When a woman is thrown into early menopause due to a hysterectomy that includes the removal of her ovaries, this is called surgical menopause. When both ovaries are removed this is referred to as bilateral oophorectomy. If the ovaries are left intact, but the uterus is gone, this may result in some confusion regarding the onset of menopause because periods are no longer present and can't be used as a barometer, according to Project-aware.org.

    Symptoms

    • The outcome of surgically induced menopause is different for every woman; however, many of these women will experience more severe symptoms than they would have had they gone through natural menopause. Those symptoms can include hair loss, hot flashes and night sweats, increased appetite, weight gain, insomnia, thyroid dysfunction, incontinence, irritability, vaginal dryness, anger and maybe even rage, depression, decreased sexual desire, painful intercourse and possibly even suicidal thoughts.

    Immediate Estrogen Withdrawal

    • If the ovaries are removed, the woman is immediately thrust into estrogen withdrawal, according to Earlymenopause.org. This is a difficult adjustment for the woman and her body to make.

    When Ovaries are Left Behind

    • If the ovaries are left following a hysterectomy, the ovaries can continue producing hormones up until the time when menopause would occur naturally, according to Medicinenet.com. However, it is possible that the ovaries can fail prematurely within a couple of years following a hysterectomy.

    Immediate Post-Menopausal

    • Surgical menopause causes a woman's body to transition immediately unlike normal menopause, which includes peri-menopause. The latter transition is gradual and can take years. The day of surgery, the woman is still a menstruating woman. Post-surgery, she is considered postmenopausal, according to Netwellness.org. Women who have surgical menopause are generally much younger than those who go through natural menopause. The average age of natural menopause is 51.

    Treatments

    • A woman may be advised to take estrogen replacement therapy following her hysterectomy to prevent hot flashes and other severe menopausal symptoms; however, there are definite risks associated with hormone therapy so be aware of those (breast cancer, cardiovascular disease) before you agree to this option. If you have pre-existing conditions, such as heart disease, then you definitely should not take hormone replacements.

    Natural Remedies

    • Natural remedies such as taking black cohosh, an herb, or eating a diet that is high in soy may help with surgically induced symptoms, particularly with hot flashes. Red clover is thought to be effective in reducing menopausal symptoms. Sometimes antidepressants will help ward off menopause symptoms. Consult with your physician, an herbalist or homeopathic specialist.
      Netwellness.org cautions that women who have had hysterectomies should not take progestins if they do decide to take hormone therapy. Some hormone therapy medications contain estrogen whereas others contain both estrogen and progestin.

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