# Hysterectomy at 31 years old



## Laura2008 (Dec 4, 2009)

So Dec. 9th I'm going to have my uterus removed. I'm the one who had to talk my doctor into doing it. I have complex endometrial hyperplasia. The kind I have is atypical and in 35-40% of the cases it will turn into cancer. When I was first diagnosed with this in Oct. 2008 I opted for an anti estrogen and biopsies every 3 months. Each biopsy came back clear from cancer but I bled constantly. The medicine was supposed to stop the bleeding but I've had bleeding everyday for over a year. In June I had a D&C and my doc removed 3 non cancerous polyps but it didn't help the bleeding problem.

I finally had enough and went to my doctor last week and basically demanded a hysterectomy. She agreed and I got scheduled for surgery right away. Luckily it can be done vaginally so no scars and faster recovery time. I know I'm making the right choice. I've known all my life that I didn't want children so that makes the decision easier. I'm still scared as hell. They're going to keep my ovaries so no HRT but I was told my PCOS could get worse after a hysterectomy.

Are there any ladies on here that have had a hysterectomy young and if so what were your results? Does everything go back to normal after? If you don't want to respond here you can always send me a pm.


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## Isa (Dec 5, 2009)

I've not had one but it was recommended by my gyn at about age 34/35ish. I fought her on it (even switched docs) and now sort of regret it. 

Have you posted on a PCOS board to find support concerning the symptoms after surgery? If not, then may I suggest Soulcysters. It's a wonderful site with tons of information. 

Good luck and speedy healing to you.


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## Laura2008 (Dec 5, 2009)

Thanks Isa! Yeah I'm a member of Soulcysters but haven't logged on in awhile. I do need to check out the board and get more info.


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## Jes (Dec 5, 2009)

I know my response isn't the one you're looking for (b/c I've not had a hysterectomy), but I recall reading several articles about how complex women's sexuality often is, and how nerves cut, even nowhere near the clitoris, can actually affect a woman's arousal/climax. Sounds scary, doesn't it? Apparently a lot of women felt the effects and didn't say much and doctors, who still haven't mapped out how female nerve endings work in many cases, didn't know they were changing the sexual status quo, and so this is something that's taken a long while to come to light.

I know, I know, I can hear the Debbie Downer trombone. But I was thinking about the article out of hte blue today, and I just saw this post, so... 2 + 2. 

Do I think this will happen? No. But I did want to bring it up in case you hadn't run through it in your mind already.

best of luck to you and good wishes for a fast recovery!


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## Tad (Dec 7, 2009)

This is pretty indirect, but my mother in law had one in her early thirties. Obviously I don't know a lot of intimate details, but my impression is that she recovered well, continued to have a healthy sex life (based on complaints about thin walls that my now wife made when she was still living at home), etc. She may have had less obvious issues, I don't know. This would have been in the mid/late 80s, so surgical techniques would not have been as advanced either.

Oh, and in case it matters, she was a BBW/SSBBW (SSBBW when I met her, several years after the fact, but I think she'd gained steadily up until then so would have been somewhat smaller when she had the surgery.


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## Laura2008 (Dec 7, 2009)

Jes said:


> I know my response isn't the one you're looking for (b/c I've not had a hysterectomy), but I recall reading several articles about how complex women's sexuality often is, and how nerves cut, even nowhere near the clitoris, can actually affect a woman's arousal/climax. Sounds scary, doesn't it? Apparently a lot of women felt the effects and didn't say much and doctors, who still haven't mapped out how female nerve endings work in many cases, didn't know they were changing the sexual status quo, and so this is something that's taken a long while to come to light.
> 
> I know, I know, I can hear the Debbie Downer trombone. But I was thinking about the article out of hte blue today, and I just saw this post, so... 2 + 2.
> 
> ...



Jes, I've wondered about this. My doctor assures me that I'll have a normal sex life once I fully heal. Of course every person is different so only time will tell. I will say in the last year my sex drive has been almost zilch with the medications I'm on so hopefully not needing them anymore will boost my sex drive. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!



Tad said:


> This is pretty indirect, but my mother in law had one in her early thirties. Obviously I don't know a lot of intimate details, but my impression is that she recovered well, continued to have a healthy sex life (based on complaints about thin walls that my now wife made when she was still living at home), etc. She may have had less obvious issues, I don't know. This would have been in the mid/late 80s, so surgical techniques would not have been as advanced either.
> 
> Oh, and in case it matters, she was a BBW/SSBBW (SSBBW when I met her, several years after the fact, but I think she'd gained steadily up until then so would have been somewhat smaller when she had the surgery.



Thank you for sharing that Tad. It makes me feel better. There's hope for me after all lol.


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## Miss Vickie (Dec 8, 2009)

Laura, I haven't personally experienced having my uterus removed; instead, in order to treat my heavy bleeding I had an endometrial ablation which means I have no periods but still have my uterus. My understanding from what I've read and talked to others about is that you are at higher risk of going through menopause earlier because of the surgery, most likely because of disruption of blood flow from the removal of the uterus. If I remember right, I think the average is about 3-5 years earlier, so you should hopefully still have many years of good ovarian function.

One thing to keep in mind is that you won't have the clue that women who do have their uterus have that you're going through menopause or perimenopause, which is changes in your bleeding. So you'll want to try to keep track of what your body is doing -- noticing any twinges you may get when you ovulate which will diminish or disappear over time as you get closer to menopause, hot flashes, mood changes, vaginal dryness and changes in your external anatomy, too. In my case, they occasionally do blood work to see if my ovaries are still working, because once I/we go through menopause I/we are at higher risk for heart disease and osteoporosis. 

I can't really speak to sexual changes, other than the emotional aspect of losing a part of what many in our culture believe is part of our femininity and sexuality. OTOH, if you've been dealing with heavy bleeding, pain or other symptoms which make life less than fun, you may feel so great that you want to dance a jig in the PACU (but please don't!) I love not having to worry about bleeding anymore, although part of me misses the cool cycles my body went through, fertile times, less fertile times. I can feel my fertility winding down, and I sometimes miss it, although I really don't miss birth control!

Best of luck tomorrow! You'll have a long recovery. Just don't push yourself (hard during the holidays), take your pain medicine and stool softeners regularly, and don't be afraid to ask for help!


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## Laura2008 (Dec 12, 2009)

Just an update to say everything went very well and I'm home resting comfortably. I haven't had very much pain. I thought for sure the pain would be terrible but having my tonsils out in 03 was way worse. My mom has been staying with me making sure I don't get up and do to much. Basically it's just pacing myself. Take a shower then go rest, that kind of thing. 



Miss Vickie said:


> Laura, I haven't personally experienced having my uterus removed; instead, in order to treat my heavy bleeding I had an endometrial ablation which means I have no periods but still have my uterus. My understanding from what I've read and talked to others about is that you are at higher risk of going through menopause earlier because of the surgery, most likely because of disruption of blood flow from the removal of the uterus. If I remember right, I think the average is about 3-5 years earlier, so you should hopefully still have many years of good ovarian function.
> 
> One thing to keep in mind is that you won't have the clue that women who do have their uterus have that you're going through menopause or perimenopause, which is changes in your bleeding. So you'll want to try to keep track of what your body is doing -- noticing any twinges you may get when you ovulate which will diminish or disappear over time as you get closer to menopause, hot flashes, mood changes, vaginal dryness and changes in your external anatomy, too. In my case, they occasionally do blood work to see if my ovaries are still working, because once I/we go through menopause I/we are at higher risk for heart disease and osteoporosis.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the awesome info Miss Vickie! My doc said she didn't see any ovarian cysts but is still keeping me on Metformin for the PCOS. She mentioned maybe having to go on a low dose birth control to keep the ovaries functioning normal but we're going to wait and see how things go. My mom has osteoperosis so I know the risks are higher for me so I'm just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best.


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## Isa (Dec 12, 2009)

Laura2008 said:


> Just an update to say everything went very well and I'm home resting comfortably. I haven't had very much pain. I thought for sure the pain would be terrible but having my tonsils out in 03 was way worse. My mom has been staying with me making sure I don't get up and do to much. Basically it's just pacing myself. Take a shower then go rest, that kind of thing.



Thanks for the update. Listen to your mom and take it easy, your body has been through a major surgery.


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## luscious_lulu (Dec 12, 2009)

Glad to hear the surgery went well...


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## Jes (Dec 12, 2009)

Great news that you're home safe. I predict that you will soon be an expert at all the games on The Price is Right!


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## jewels_mystery (Dec 15, 2009)

My bestfriend has hers when she was 34. It did not effect her sex drive at all. if anything I think it increase. She already had a kid and did not want anymore. So she was excited about not having to worry if she was pregnant. She did end up in therapy for a bit. 

Hugs and good luck.


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