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[charliegirl]

Hi all, Charliegirl here, not been on her for a while. Last year my gyne stopped HRT as he said it caused bleeding, I have tried another but still having bleeding problems and period pains. My gyne said this will continue whatever pills I am on,and has reccomended a hysterectomy. I know this is drastic but am sick of pains bleeding etc. what do others think. I am 63 . What side effects can I expext long term? Cheers!

[Mary G]

I am considering having a hysterectomy myself.  Not because of bleeding, but because of my intolerance to all forms of synthetic progesterone and to a lesser extent, Utrogestan.  I am 54 and intend to take HRT for life so I don't want to have to face years of periods and progesterone.  Professor Studd recommended I have one and the only thing stopping me at the member is work commitments.  It is a lot to face but if you can face it, I think it is a good option for many women.  It is a big operation but I have never personally met a woman who has had a hysterectomy and regretted it, they have all remarked on how much better they feel. 

Others will come along with other opinions but I am definitely going to have one eventually, it is just a matter of when not if. 

Do you know what type you will have i.e. vaginally with epidural or the conventional type?

Professor Studd has written about it on his website which you might want to look at. 

[Chi chi]

Sorry I hope you don't mind me asking but I've been told by Studd and Annie Evans that a hysterectomy is the best way forward for me also due to being prog intolerant. Besides it being a drastic move one of the things that is/was putting me off is the thought of being put to sleep 😳 So is it possible to have it done with an epidural?
I'm also really scared it will make my moods worse being left with no hormones of my own at all?

[GypsyRoseLee]

Like MaryG I don't know any woman who has regretted having one. My Mum had one at 43 due to fibroids and excessive bleeding. But she's also been battling dreadful anxiety and mood swings since she'd been 38, too. Although she didn't realise these were hormonal at the time.

But within a week, after her hysterectomy, she felt like a different woman. The awful mood swings and anxiety disappeared, never to return.

A hysterectomy is something I will definitely consider if Annie Evans can't stabilize these dreadful mood swings and anxiety I keep getting. Though I wasn't too bad on Utro last year.

I would definitely opt for a GA though. I want to be totally unaware, thanks. I've had 2 epidurals before and hated the procedure of getting the needle into my spine. Yuck.

[Joyce]

I had hysterectomy in my mid 30s as I was in pain 24/7 & bled most of the time. Turned out I had fibroids & cysts. Never looked back.

[Mary G]

Chi chi, if I remember rightly, you and I are in a similar situation i.e. taking very little Utrogestan and being severely intolerant to synthetic progesterone.

Yes, you definitely can have a vaginal hysterectomy using an epidural and apparently the recovery time is faster.  BUPA have details of it and I phoned and asked about it a while ago. 

There is no way the NHS will pay for me to have a hysterectomy because I haven't got anything wrong with me but I am thinking of having it done privately in Spain and making a kind of holiday out of it.  It costs much less there are you get to stay in a nice hotel with a balcony near the beach!  I had better start saving up. 

[Niamh]

Professor Studd told me they can do it by key hole surgery now? Ive not looked at the detail yet but he's recommended for me in the future too like Mary owing to prog intolerance. I'm 41 now and have 2 little boys 2 and 7 so can't right now plus it feels drastic but think it's the way to go id have to do private I wouldn't get on the nhs. A good friend had one for various reasons and she has ostrogen implants and testosterone and feels great x

[Ju Ju]

I had a partial hysterectomy nearly 3 months ago. It was done vaginally, along with a posterior repair, which is what I mainly went in for. I had to give permission for the hysterectomy beforehand if deemed necessary ( prolapse) They took into consideration that my womb lining was thickened and that I am sensitive to progesterone. I was thinking I would have to come off HRT. I was given the choice of a general anaesthetic or epidural. I opted for a general. I didn't want to know what was going on! I would advise waiting if you have young children, if you can. Lifting heavy weights is out of the question and I am still tired, though I am over 60. I've not been able to look after my heavy 3 year old grandson on my own as he required lifting onto the loo. However, he has learnt how to do it......just for me though!

[Hurdity]

Sorry I hope you don't mind me asking but I've been told by Studd and Annie Evans that a hysterectomy is the best way forward for me also due to being prog intolerant. Besides it being a drastic move one of the things that is/was putting me off is the thought of being put to sleep 😳 So is it possible to have it done with an epidural?
I'm also really scared it will make my moods worse being left with no hormones of my own at all?

Chi chi - if you have a hytserectomy but keep your ovaries then you will continue to produce oestrogen and testosterone - it's if they are removed too that gives most women problems with trying to find the right dose to feel well.

Hurdity x

[Taz2]

It's an operation I would have avoided if at all possible. Mine was done because I had a prolapsed uterus which was uncomfortable and would eventually have dropped out of the vagina resulting in emergency surgery  . I am 62 and had mine eighteen months ago. It took at least a year before I returned to anywhere near my pre-hyster energy levels - a problem which seems to happen to a lot of women who have this op at an older age. I still can't use a large supermarket trolley due to overstressing the now weakened pelvic floor or overfill the bags.

Before you decide, Charliegirl,  I would say that you do need to find out how much longer you will be allowed to use HRT. It would be a shame to put your body through major surgery only to find that the main cause of your bleeding, HRT, was denied you anyway. Most women are now able to use HRT up to 70 if they have an understanding gynae or GP. Mine was against any woman over 60 using it and was most annoyed when I disagreed with his decision.

Just want to also say that although keyhole surgery is good - I had a vaginal hyster - and you don't have outside wounds you atill have major surgery inside which still needs to heal. I couldn't drive for eight weeks and was off work for twelve. It is easy to overdue it and as Ju Ju says it can make you pretty tired. I can see that for women who have really horrible, debilitating periods each month then this op will make them feel 100% better but it is quite a drastic step to take unless absolutely necessary and can cause more problems than it cures.

Taz x 

[charliegirl]

Hi ladies, many thanks for your replies. The gyne said he will give me estrogen after the op. It was the prog causing the trouble, apparently. Taz2 you have voiced my fears that it will take a while to recover. I do alot of yoga and pilates and drive alot, i have to think about the effect it will have. However I am having a bleed at the moment with period pains and just want it taken away!😥.
Who would be a woman!!
Thanks Charliegirl.

[Mary G]

Taz2, the thought of not being able to drive for 1 day is worrying enough but not being able to drive for 8 weeks is positively terrifying.  I can't imagine what it must feel like to sit in a car knowing you cannot take over and drive if something suddenly happened to the driver.  Also, I would feel dreadful looking at our car on the drive knowing I cannot drive it.  Scary stuff. 

The recovery time is the only stumbling block for me.  Is it always 8 weeks before you can drive?  Also, is it always about the same time before you can lift heavy objects, something I do virtually everyday. 

Oh dear, I really can't burden my poor partner for that length of time, I need to pull my weight and if he was to break his leg or get ill, we would be stuck because we run our own business and both need to drive - we share the driving about 50/50. 

I had been hoping to only be out of action for a month at the most.  This is rather worrying.

[charliegirl]

Hi ladies, many thanks for your replies. The gyne said he will give me estrogen after the op. It was the prog causing the trouble, apparently. Taz2 you have voiced my fears that it will take a while to recover. I do alot of yoga and pilates and drive alot, i have to think about the effect it will have. However I am having a bleed at the moment with period pains and just want it taken away!😥.
Who would be a woman!!
Thanks Charliegirl.

[Taz2]

Taz2, the thought of not being able to drive for 1 day is worrying enough but not being able to drive for 8 weeks is positively terrifying.  I can't imagine what it must feel like to sit in a car knowing you cannot take over and drive if something suddenly happened to the driver.  Also, I would feel dreadful looking at our car on the drive knowing I cannot drive it.  Scary stuff. 

The recovery time is the only stumbling block for me.  Is it always 8 weeks before you can drive?  Also, is it always about the same time before you can lift heavy objects, something I do virtually everyday. 

Oh dear, I really can't burden my poor partner for that length of time, I need to pull my weight and if he was to break his leg or get ill, we would be stuck because we run our own business and both need to drive - we share the driving about 50/50. 

I had been hoping to only be out of action for a month at the most.  This is rather worrying.

You do need to read up on it as much as possible Mary. The insurance company were adamant that it would be eight weeks before I could drive but some say 6 weeks. As for being in the car and not being able to take over I didn't go out much in the car until the six week mark anyway. It was too uncomfy to sit for long in an upright position. It could be that mine was due to prolapse so I was acutely aware that once the uterus is removed there is nothing holding up the vaginal walls so a vaginal vault prolapse can happen if you do too much too soon. These are the guidelines from the UK Hysterectomy site which may sound a bit drastic but are worth following http://gallery.mailchimp.com/a5692c6457e86f0e2182630fa/files/sbs_recovery.pdf?utm_source=Free+Hysterectomy+Booklet&utm_campaign=30c61c525a-Booklet-14&utm_medium=email  Without an external scar it is easy to overdo things and, as my gynae said, you only have one chance to heal properly. Lifting heavy objects does have to be approached with caution even a long time after due to the prolapse possibility. If you have strong vaginal and pelvic tissues then you will be much better at returning to pre-operation activities.

If you really need this op then your partner will cope - it will be a nuisance - it was for me - but you will get through it. I was surprised at how long it took me to recover. You also have to give a thought to the sexual side of things - that can change quite drastically orgasm wise.

You are right in that you can have a spinal block - the recovery time being quicker only relates to the amount of time in hospital of course not the overall recovery time. I had mine under general anaesthestic on a monday lunchtime and came home on the wednesday. I did still have a catheter in though as my bladder had gone to sleep (quite usual after a vaginal hyster) and I had that removed a week later.

charliegirl - I know this sounds absolutely daft but I still get quite strong period pains without a uterus and I don't know why. I have found out it is quite common but maybe what I thought were period pains were actually the bowel being stimulated?

Taz x

[Mary G]

Thanks Taz, I will have to give this some serious thought.  I don't know what my pelvic floor is like, I don't know much about it. 

I am sure it has been worthwhile for you though, with a prolapse, there is no real alternative.  I suppose the recovery time must vary up to a point but it does seem pretty long for everyone. 

If only someone could come up with a womb disabling mechanism so that progesterone was no longer necessary. 

Food for thought.