In our society, it’s not customary to discuss a topic such as a hysterectomy, but a lack of awareness will create even more problems. A lack of conversation on the topic will deprive reliable information about the risks and, instead, create many fears. For the same reason, women who are faced with surgery to remove the uterus are in an “emotional bubble”. In this article, you may find the information you need to know about removing the uterus, also known as hysterectomy.
This Is the Most Common Gynecological Surgery
In the United States, according to National Women’s Health Network, every tenth woman aged 40 to 44 years goes through this procedure. The main reasons why women are recommended this surgery are advanced endometriosis, cervical cancer, and uterine fibroids. All these diseases carry chronic pelvic pain and can sometimes be fatal.
This Procedure Does Not Turn a Woman Into a Man
It is believed that after a hysterectomy, menopause certainly occurs, the level of hormones rapidly falls, and the woman turns into a middle-sex creature. Naturally, this is not so as it all depends on whether the ovaries are removed with the uterus or not, because they produce the hormone estrogen.
If the doctor decides that only the uterus should be removed, then the woman’s menopause will appear at about age 40-50. In the case of complete removal of the reproductive organs, a surgical climax occurs and hormones cease to be produced, but the patient can take drugs with estrogen.
Sex Does Not Disappear
There are several types of operations, and each of them affects the quality of sex but does not completely cancel it. With partial hysterectomy, the doctor removes only the uterus which does not participate in sex. With a full hysterectomy, the uterus and its neck are removed, with radical all the appendages and surrounding tissue.
In the first two cases, a woman can safely have traditional sex with her partner. Libido also does not disappear. Even with the onset of surgical menopause, a woman can take hormones and maintain a healthy libido.
Physical Recovery Doesn’t Take Much Time
With a partial hysterectomy, the recovery will take about 1.5-2 months. The patient will not need to take medications with estrogen and will be able to walk around the ward and the surroundings in a couple of days after surgery. Complete removal suggests that rehabilitation will last 2-3 months. Do not forget that after any type of surgery a woman should not be engaged in heavy physical activity for at least 3-6 months. You should refrain from sex for about 4-8 weeks.
To make the process faster, a woman can walk, do gymnastics, eat liquid cereals, grated meat, omelets, and other products that will not irritate the gastrointestinal tract. After the recovery is completed, the patient can strengthen the pelvic muscles with Kegel exercises, which will increase the tone and prevent side effects after surgery or you can try Kegglers products.
A lot of time usually takes a psychological adaptation as after surgery, a woman often feels “broken”. The procedure is quite serious, sometimes it even divides a woman’s life into “before” and “after”. However, the patient does not become defective after it and the absence of the uterus does not interfere with everyday life.
Surgery is almost always a way to solve a problem that cannot be dealt with medications. Often, relatives or doctors can dissuade a woman from surgery for the sake of hypothetical childbearing or to stay a “real” woman, thereby foredoom her to unbearable pain and suffering. The patient, herself, must decide whether she needs this procedure and relatives must accept her choice.
