Hysterectomy

Two surgeries frequently performed in the United States are hysterectomies and caesarian sections. Having had to undergo both of these surgeries at the young age of twenty-one, I can attest that it was no picnic.

Suddenly, without warning, I was stripped of my ability to be a mother. I found myself instead fighting hot flashes, mood swings and depression. While my friends were carrying on with their lives, mine felt like it had completely stopped. There were no support groups, no caring doctors who would take the time to explain to me the massive changes taking place inside my body, altering my brain chemistry.

The sudden removal of my ovaries stopped all production of natural estrogen in my body. Putting me on hormone replacement therapy proved to be frustrating because my body was unwilling to accept the synthetic estrogen and progesterone. The doctor finally resorted to injecting me with the drug every month.

The total hysterectomy brought along various complications including scar tissue that eventually led to internal obstruction and a second surgery. I dropped into a heavy depression afterwards that lasted for months.

Because of the circumstances surrounding me, the hysterectomy was done on an emergency basis, a surgery I was told was necessary for my survival. I am a DES offspring- (disilbesterol) a drug issued in the 1940’s and 1950’s to women prone to miscarriages.

Later findings on this drug would be grim. Exposure to it in the womb, led to female problems and cancers for the daughters of the moms taking the drug, and sterility for the sons.

I am not sorry that I had the surgery.  I am just sad that back then there was such a stigma attached to early menopause. There was no one capable of guiding me through all of the changes taking place; therefore, I suffered in silence.

If a woman is diagnosed with fibroids, the doctor’s first instinct used to be a total hysterectomy. If a woman came in with heavy cramping, bleeding and passing of clots, the doctor again would recommend a hysterectomy. This surgery proved to be an easy out for surgeons, but by and large in the private sector, it was and still is a surgery that is totally unnecessary in most cases.

Studies now show that women who have had a total hysterectomy (and there are millions of us in this club) are more susceptible to heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular disorders. However, the surgery is not the culprit here, but rather how the woman deals with the aftermath of the surgery.

Many women sink into depression. With depression comes the act of overeating. Thus, you have weight gain. With weight gain comes obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other health issues.

So when is a total hysterectomy warranted?

• Cervical cancer patients
• Endometriosis
• Pre –cancerous patients
• Heavy bleeding during childbirth
• Reoccurring large ovarian cyst
• Other genetic health factors- DES offspring
• History of cancer in the family

Be aware of all the options that now exist for women when it comes to this surgery. Recent studies show that in the United States 78% of all hysterectomies are totally unnecessary! 78%!!

Talk to your doctor, seek out several opinions. Join a support group or a mail server list that will help you learn the critical questions to ask your health provider.

A total hysterectomy is a major life-changing operation. Walk into it with your eyes wide open and know the risks beforehand.