Hysterectomy???

MerriCath · 12-19-2006, 02:23 PM

I went to a reproductive endo, and he suggested, that if I have no plans to conceive, that the only way I could possibly get rid of all (or most) of the problems associated with PCOS, is to have the ovaries removed (and then, said a total hysterectomy).
What do you think of this? HAve any of you ladies had an experience with this and had it done? Have you found that your symptoms improved?
I have always laughed that I wanted a total hysterectomy (for 15+ years), but now that the doctor has suggested that...the reality has hit me like a brick wall!!

What are your thoughts on this????

Adoption Momma · 12-19-2006, 04:11 PM

I have a link in my siggy about my hysterectomy. I also had endometriosis in addition to PCOS and the endo was causing a lot of pain. My periods weren't regulated and when they tried to regulate them I would have a non-stop period.

It depends on what you are experiencing to see if it would improve. PCOS is an endocrinological disorder so I would think a hysterectomy would only help symptoms that are related to periods, pain, cramps etc. Weight gain, acne, and other non reproductive issues may be improved or worsen.

Chas1975 · 12-19-2006, 05:02 PM

At first I thought I wanted a hysterectomy just because of the amount of pain and the non stop bleeding. But after meeting with my new doc I changed my mind. I would still have the excessive hair and extra weight. We decided to do an endometrium ablation. I am having it done this Thursday so I'll let ya know how bad it was.

Another reason I decided against the hysterectomy was because I didn't want to spend all that time recouping. I have kids, I babysit and am active in guinea pig rescue. I just don't feel that I have time in my life right now for such a major surgery. I am going to be on light duties with the rescue for 2 weeks after the procedure is done but I can still do emails, show up to do weights and help out with things in the rescue that don't require heavy lifting. I was afraid of being in so much pain that I wouldn't be able to participate in my life for a bit. I take care of the house and everyone in it. I'm afraid it would all fall apart if I had a major surgery.

My doc says that the endo ablation is an alternative to hysterectomy. I should have less to no bleeding afterwards. No periods sounds awesome to me. I spend so much time bleeding that to finally not worry about it would be great. I wonder if I'll still have PMS though. I'll have to ask the doc when I go in tomorrow to sign all the paperwork and such.

I think hysterectomy requires alot of thought and you would need to weigh all the pros and cons of such a choice. For us it wasn't an issue of fertility. My DH had a vas 4 years ago. We have 2 great kids and didn't feel the need to push our luck. I never wanted to have kids after I turned 30 so this is just some more reassurance for us that we won't be adding to our family.

Good luck in your decision.

lachicarubia · 12-19-2006, 06:13 PM

Some doctors seem to love to do surgery. He might think that a total hysterectomy is the ONLY way to get rid of your PCOS symptoms, but I don't believe that at all.

I personally think that it is best to avoid surgery if at all possible!!! It costs a lot of money, and lost time, and carries the risk of infection, and other complications of surgery. As a nurse, I ALWAYS encourge people to try the least invasive treatment options first, and only start looking at surgery as the VERY last option.

Have you tried any alternative treament options.
I have found alternatives that drastically started to improve my PCOS symptoms within 30 days of starting them. The alternatives that I have been using are very inexpensive, and non-invasive.

It is worth a shot to try some alternatives, and then if you find that they are not working for you, you can always decide to go ahead with surgery. But if you do the surgery now, you might end up with unwanted effects, it might not get rid of EVERY symptom, and you can never go back.

(P.S. If you do decide to try some of the same alternatives that helped my PCOS, be careful if you don't want to conceive, because it just might happen.

)

Jashobeam · 12-19-2006, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lachicarubia

Some doctors seem to love to do surgery. He might think that a total hysterectomy is the ONLY way to get rid of your PCOS symptoms, but I don't believe that at all.

I personally think that it is best to avoid surgery if at all possible!!!

I agree. Unless you are are experiencing severe AF problems, I don't think a hyster is usually the way to go. I would suggest a second opinion!

susieinph · 12-21-2006, 02:20 AM

I came here to post this question and found yours. I am thinking about having a total hysterectomy to stop mood swings. I have PMDD and get really crazy the week before my period. The gyno wanted me to try a depo provera shot to turn off my ovaries and see how it worked. I was too scared to try because once the shot is in you are stuck with it in your system for 3+ months. I was so afraid that it would effect my moods (bcp do) that I couldn't risk it. Still have severe mood swings even though I take antidepressants to control it.
I also have heavy bleeding. I had an endometrial ablation 6 years ago and it was great but the heavy bleeding is back.
Now my question is will this help with the PCOS? Does it stop if you have no ovaries?

oh, one more problem, my uterus has fallen and is pressing on my bladder making me incontinent. I am beginning to think my body hates being a woman.

guineapig · 12-21-2006, 12:04 PM

i just wanted to say I did depo for bcp & IMO it caused my pcos or at least worsened it 100000x. furthermore i was very mentally unstable on it. I mean very. Have you tried a low-estroden monophasic bcp (like yaz or loestrin 24) or the ring yet? High estroden pills IMO can cause mood, weight, acne etc much more so than lower dose.

lachicarubia · 12-21-2006, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by susieinph

I also have heavy bleeding. I had an endometrial ablation 6 years ago and it was great but the heavy bleeding is back.
Now my question is will this help with the PCOS? Does it stop if you have no ovaries?

oh, one more problem, my uterus has fallen and is pressing on my bladder making me incontinent. I am beginning to think my body hates being a woman.

I am so sorry that you have to go through this, Susie.

With multiple problems, sometimes a total hystectomy might actually be the best way to fix everything. Surgery is the treatment of last resort for each of those problems individually, but might not be last resort with multiple problems. It is a totally personal decision between you and your doc.

Before deciding on surgery, it would probably be a good idea to try BCP's to help regulate hormones, and bleeding. You also might want to try some alternative herbal treaments to see if they help you.
For the uterine prolapse, (if you haven't already) start doing kegal exercises, and do them OFTEN!!! Hopefully you only have 1st degree uterine prolapse, and that doing kegal exercises will help. Otherwise the doc might have to do other interventions to get the uterus back up and off your bladder. Again, surgery is usually the last resort for uterine prolapse.

I hope you can get relief soon.

alisha511 · 12-21-2006, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chas1975

At first I thought I wanted a hysterectomy just because of the amount of pain and the non stop bleeding. But after meeting with my new doc I changed my mind. I would still have the excessive hair and extra weight. We decided to do an endometrium ablation. I am having it done this Thursday so I'll let ya know how bad it was.

Another reason I decided against the hysterectomy was because I didn't want to spend all that time recouping. I have kids, I babysit and am active in guinea pig rescue. I just don't feel that I have time in my life right now for such a major surgery. I am going to be on light duties with the rescue for 2 weeks after the procedure is done but I can still do emails, show up to do weights and help out with things in the rescue that don't require heavy lifting. I was afraid of being in so much pain that I wouldn't be able to participate in my life for a bit. I take care of the house and everyone in it. I'm afraid it would all fall apart if I had a major surgery.

My doc says that the endo ablation is an alternative to hysterectomy. I should have less to no bleeding afterwards. No periods sounds awesome to me. I spend so much time bleeding that to finally not worry about it would be great. I wonder if I'll still have PMS though. I'll have to ask the doc when I go in tomorrow to sign all the paperwork and such.

I think hysterectomy requires alot of thought and you would need to weigh all the pros and cons of such a choice. For us it wasn't an issue of fertility. My DH had a vas 4 years ago. We have 2 great kids and didn't feel the need to push our luck. I never wanted to have kids after I turned 30 so this is just some more reassurance for us that we won't be adding to our family.

Good luck in your decision.

i hope everything works out for you

Chas1975 · 12-21-2006, 07:33 PM

Thanks for the well wishes. The surery went well. My doc is so sweet. He held onto my hand until I was out and then gave my hubby a whole update after it was over. I have some pretty bad cramps that aren't being touched by the percocet but I'll live. They should pass in a few days.