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Surgical Menopause

When a woman is nearing 50, she is most likely entering menopause. Before this, the body goes through peri-menopause for a number of years in preparation. The estrogen levels drop slowly and the body is allowed to adjust to the changes a little at a time. With surgical menopause, this process is disrupted and hormone levels drop sharply.

  1. What is Surgical Menopause

    • Surgical menopause occurs when the ovaries are removed before a woman has gone through menopause naturally. This procedure is called an oophorectomy. This is usually done because the ovaries are causing health issues or cancer is suspected. The usual biopsy cannot be performed because it could release cancer cells. Women with a family history of ovarian cancer or who carry the BRAC-1 or BRAC-2 gene may choose this surgery. The elective procedure is called a prophylactic oophorectomy.

    Surgical Process

    • In preparation for surgery the patient is instructed to refrain from any food or fluids for at least 24 hours to empty the abdominal cavity. The surgery is performed while the patient is under anesthesia. Most of the time there will be an overnight stay in the hospital. For a non-invasive laparotomy, three small incisions are made in the abdomen to insert the small instruments. With the open abdominal procedure, there may be a six inch incision. Though the organs can be removed vaginally in order to examine for further disease this is not usually chosen. If the uterus is removed as well, it is called Salpingo-Oophorectomy

    After Surgery

    • There will be some bruising and minor bleeding in the incision site. Since most of the healing is internal, it is important to rest and not do any lifting for six weeks. Most women are back to work within a week and the pain is minimal after two weeks. If other procedures are performed, such as the removal of the uterus, it may take longer to heal.

    Menopausal Symptoms

    • Some women start to notice symptoms directly after surgery. Hot flashes and mood swings are the most noticeable symptoms. The severity varies since each person has different levels of hormones upon undergoing surgery. A younger woman may notice more extreme symptoms because her levels of estrogen and progesterone are different from a woman closer to natural menopause. There is no way to tell how long the symptoms will last. Within a few months after the ovaries are removed, many woman notice that their metabolism slows down and they gain weight.

    Hormones

    • Because surgical menopause creates a sudden change in hormones it can produce more severe menopausal symptoms. Many women choose HRT or hormone replacement therapy to alleviate the symptoms. There are three options from which to choose. There are synthetic hormones produced in the lab, natural hormones obtained from animal sources and bioidentical hormones made from soy beans and yams. All three can relieve the symptoms of menopause. Since surgical menopause is often due to endometriosis and cancer, these women are usually asked to refrain from using hormones. Hormones can have a direct effect on these diseases.

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