Since the uterus is a very important part of the body, its removal has physical and emotional consequences and it may lead to severe psychological reactions in women [3–5]. A psychological complication of hysterectomy includes depression [6], Anxiety [7], and stress [8].
If your ovaries are removed at the time of your hysterectomy your oestrogen production will cease and you will enter the menopause. This sudden change, with no gradual transition, can lead to mood swings, depression, crying spells, insomnia, and irritability in some women.
After having a hysterectomy, you may wake up feeling tired and in some pain. This is normal after this type of surgery. You'll be given painkillers to help reduce any pain and discomfort. If you feel sick after the anaesthetic, your nurse can give you medicine to help relieve this.
Our study indicated that although the mean score of depression decreased three months after hysterectomy (compared to before the operation), there was no statistically significant difference between the mean score of depression before hysterectomy and three months after the procedure.
Symptoms of a Hormonal Imbalance
After a hysterectomy, the sudden withdrawal of certain hormones can take a toll on a woman's physical, mental and emotional well-being. Symptoms that are most common include hot flashes, mood swings, night sweats, sleeplessness, light bleeding and discharge, and vaginal dryness.
Surgical Menopause, Hysterectomy, and Hormone Changes
If, however, you're left with one or both of your ovaries intact, you may experience menopause within five years of having the hysterectomy. On the other hand, when you go through menopause naturally, your ovaries continue producing testosterone for up to 20 years.
Hormone replacement therapy has been identified as the most effective treatment for menopause symptoms and is routinely recommended to help women recover hormone balance after hysterectomy. In particular, these medications are effective at relieving the following symptoms: Hot flashes and night sweats.
In general women take 4-6 weeks off work to recover from a hysterectomy. The first weeks back at work are often very tiring, much more than a woman expects. If you are able to arrange it, it is a good idea to work a shorter week or shorter days for the first week or two. After that you will find you are back to normal.
Many women experience emotional distress or stress due to massive changes in their careers and family during their midlife. Hysterectomy might exacerbate stress levels in these women.
After a total hysterectomy, estrogen replacement therapy or ERT is often recommended due to the removal of the ovaries, which are responsible for making the hormone. ERT can help counteract the symptoms of surgical menopause when the body no longer produces it naturally.
Because your uterus is removed, you no longer have periods and cannot get pregnant. But your ovaries might still make hormones, so you might not have other signs of menopause. You may have hot flashes, a symptom of menopause, because the surgery may have blocked blood flow to the ovaries.
A hysterectomy is a major operation. You can be in hospital for up to 5 days after surgery, and it can take about 6 to 8 weeks to fully recover. Recovery times can also vary depending on the type of hysterectomy. Rest as much as possible during this time and do not lift anything heavy, such as bags of shopping.
After a hysterectomy, the remaining abdominal and pelvic organs will shift slightly to fill in the space. This shift can cause incontinence as well as other problems. Keeping your pelvic floor muscles strong by doing Kegels and regular exercise can help prevent these problems.
Some postoperative patients may display emotional crying. There are many reasons for emotional crying after surgery, including fear, sadness, grief, guilt, or happiness. Fear of unfamiliar surroundings and people, or fear of diagnosis, pain, or disability may precipitate emotional crying.
Many women are happy to find they no longer experience the abdominal bloating, cramps, and moodiness that often accompanied their monthly periods.
And our bodies become used to having this ally always at work for us. When estrogen levels drop dramatically due to ovary removal during a hysterectomy, you can experience a variety of unsettling symptoms, including fatigue.
Benefits and risks of a hysterectomy
If you have cancer, a hysterectomy may save your life. It can relieve bleeding or discomfort from fibroids, severe endometriosis or prolapse (sagging) of the uterus. But, you may want to look into options other than surgery for problems like these.
Conclusion. In this study, mood symptoms continued to improve after the final menstrual period or hysterectomy for all women. Women who undergo a hysterectomy with or without bilateral oophorectomy in midlife do not experience more negative mood symptoms in the years after surgery.
When your ovaries are removed (oophorectomy) during a hysterectomy, your estrogen levels drop. Estrogen therapy (ET) replaces some or all of the estrogen that your ovaries would be making until menopause. Without estrogen, you are at risk for weak bones later in life, which can lead to osteoporosis.
A Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center study involving postmenopausal, overweight, and obese women who took 2,000 IUs of vitamin D daily for a year found that those whose vitamin D blood levels increased the most had the greatest reductions in blood estrogens, which are a known risk factor for breast cancer.