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[Bracken willowshimmer]

Hi ladies,

I have recently been diagnosed with a large fibroid.  It looks like I am heading towards having a hysterectomy.

I also suffer from very bad perimenopausal symptoms including anxiety, headaches, tearfulness, sore boobs, to name but a few.

Do you think a hysterectomy would help with these peri symptons  or would I make them worse?(dr us not sure yet if ovaries would be removed).

[Joyce]

I had hysterectomy in my mid 30s as had fibroids & cysts. Ovaries were left but removed 10 years later. I've been on varying forms of HRT for a long, long time.  I took an 8 month break 5 years ago & it was awful. Flushes, sweats, moods, tears you name it.   

Will they put you on HRT after a hysterectomy, assuming that's what you want to do?

Not sure if that helps, but thought I'd tell you my experience of it. Im 58 now & still on HRT.

[BrightLight]

Hi Bracken
I don't know whether a hysterectomy would help with perimenopausal symptoms - if they remove the ovaries you would go into menopause and the effects of no hormones would then come into play.  I imagine, everyone would respond differently.  There is a great website called hystersisters that might be helpful to search for people taking the route you are thinking about.

I have a fibroid that isn't causing problems and have read that many shrink after menopause - is yours causing you symptoms?

[Bracken willowshimmer]

Hi Brightlight,

My fibroid causes very heavy bleeding.  Had a scan this morning and it's 8 and a half cm.  don't know if this is particularly large as fibroids go.

[Taz2]

Hi Bracken - you need to research this quite carefully as a hysterectomy is major surgery and you need to make sure that this is the only option open to you I feel. I think that you are still quite young - in your forties perhaps - and if your ovaries are taken then you will be plunged straight into surgical menopause and to protect your body HRT should then be prescribed up to the normal meno age. If you have a hysterectomy leaving your ovaries then this will probably not make any difference to your peri symptoms - apart from the fact that your ovaries may fail earlier than they would have done without a hysterectomy. Have you had any medication to see if that will shrink the fibroid rather than go straight for surgery? There is info here on the treatment available http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Fibroids/Pages/Treatment.aspx

Are you still on HRT or have you had to stop it due to the fibroid?

For more information on hysterectomy due to fibroids there may be help on here Hysterectomy-Assocation.co.uk.

Taz x

[BrightLight]

Hi Brightlight,

My fibroid causes very heavy bleeding.  Had a scan this morning and it's 8 and a half cm.  don't know if this is particularly large as fibroids go.

Sounds large - I know they can cause problems with bleeding and sometimes pressure depending on where they are.  The link further up is useful.  I too would think carefully about a hysterectomy, that's a big surgery and won't necessarily solve any menopause symptoms, has your doctor made a recommendation to you ?

[Bracken willowshimmer]

Hi ladies, the plan is to have injections for six months to start menopause and if this  helps then hysterectomy.

Dr at the hospital has recommended this, he has referred me back to my GP for injections.  I can't see my GP agreeing to this as it will be expensive!

[Taz2]

Are you still on HRT?

Taz x

[donnacrichton]

I have had 6 implants so far to induce menopause to decide if I would be helped by hysterectomy. It has not been an easy answer as still trying to get an hrt stable. Be very careful before making your decision. Do some research as it is still a rollercoaster x