There are many symptoms of menopause that can be brought about by some factors especially with hysterectomy procedure and this procedure has itself some surgical menopause symptoms. According to medical statistics, in the U.S. alone, more than 600,000 hysterectomies are performed annually which makes hysterectomy the number one non-childbirth related surgical procedure done among American women. Hysterectomies are now considered minor surgeries because modern facilities and tools are now being used by the doctors in surgically removing the diseased uterus. Hysterectomies can now be performed on outpatients. However, there is very little knowledge about the long-term effects of hysterectomy in women particularly the risk of developing early menopause.

 

Doctors agree that once oopherectomy (surgical removal of ovaries) take place in young women, early menopause can occur. However, there have been very few studies to prove that if the uterus is removed but the ovaries are left intact, this can also trigger untimely menopause in women. In medical science, it is a generally known fact that because the ovaries are responsible in producing ova and balancing female hormones, its removal can trigger early menopause. But with removing the uterus and leaving the ovaries untouched, still, there must be further studies to prove that there could also be the occurrence of untimely menopause in young women. To prove that the assumptions are right, Dr. Patricia Moorman, an associate professor of Duke University explored this big issue and the results of her study were published in the journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

 

What would be the rate of ovarian failure with hysterectomy?

Doctor Moorman and her colleagues conducted a study among 406 women who have undergone oophorectomy and hysterectomy and 465 women (who represent the control group) who have hysterectomy but still have intact ovaries. The study lasted for five years. On the first year, the result of the study showed that among the 406 women, almost 2 % of them have failures in the normal functioning of their ovaries while the control group has no issues. After four years, data was gathered and the result showed that 14.8 % among the 406 women and 8.0% of the control group experienced premature menopause or early menopause.

 

With this result, Dr. Moorman and her colleagues have determined that women who have undergone hysterectomy but their ovaries intact would still show manifestations of ovarian failure at approximately 1.88 years after the surgery. Thus it was concluded that surgical menopause symptoms would likely to occur once the supply of blood to the ovaries is cut off due to hysterectomy.

 

What should a woman ask her doctor about hysterectomy?

Dr. Moorman suggests that when doctors advise their women patients to undergo hysterectomy, they must also discuss the possible events of ovarian failure. Other than that, they must also encourage women to monitor their bone density because once menopause sets in, the structural integrity of the bones can become thinner and then become fragile.

 

On the other hand, there are also some benefits brought about by hysterectomy. According to the Maine Women Health Study which was conducted in 1994, 800 women who have gynecological problems that include pelvic pain, growth of fibroids, excessive menstrual bleeding and painful intercourse have excellent improvement in their symptoms after having hysterectomy. Even after a year from their surgery, most of them have regained their physical and mental health. Also, it was found out that there is a lesser chance that women can have ovarian cancer after hysterectomy.

 

Is there any chance of avoiding early menopause with hysterectomy?

On the other hand, although hysterectomy can bring along some advantages, there is still the possibility that it can also bring along early menopause. Moreover, as long as the ovaries are intact and even there is hysterectomy, studies show that there is still a 50-50 chance that women may still menstruate for certain period of time though this would not exceed 4 years.

 

Hysterectomy is the leading cause on the disruption of blood supply to the ovaries which can lead to malfunctioning of the ovaries by 40 percent and the imbalance of hormones in the woman’s body. In this case women can still be able to balance their female hormones by relying on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) treatment. Women cannot avoid having surgical removal symptoms after their bouts with hysterectomy but at least they can still do something to prolong their chances of having normal menstrual cycle for few years.