Hysterectomy at 40? - Hudson,OH

Hi J., I have 2 friends that have experienced the same issues as you have and both had hysterectomies at age 24. They both are so glad they did it!

Hello J. I usually read the others comments before I respond but not this one. Let me say I was 40 when I had my hysterectomy and I have never felt better in my life. Physically, mentally and all around living I would not think twice having it done. I didn't have all the problems you do but had enough that the doctor said it should be done. GO FOR IT GIRL

Hi J.,
So sorry to hear about what you've gone thru! I used to have similar monthly pain issues, and the pill helped quite a bit, but like you, I didn't want to live my life on it and eventually went off of it and tried to deal w/ debilitating pain.
When I was 19, I found a company called "Reliv International" that I was thrilled w/ and started taking their basic nutrition, just for prevention against the auto-immune issues that my mom dealt with (fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, etc.) HOWEVER, I was so surprised when that next period was so much easier. And it continued to get easier to the point that I still don't even know when it's coming (I have to watch the calendar :)

My mom's fibro and CF symptoms are improved, and now she's been able to manage menopause with these products in a NATURAL way, vs taking HRT.

I've since began a business with this company that allows me to stay home and work around my kids, teaching and training others how to do the same, and sharing info about these remarkable food-science products. I'll message you with my contact info and if you want more information, I'd be happy to share with you.

Blessings,
Renee

J., I had a complete hysterectomy at the age of 39, I am now 41. I had similiar problems to yours.
I had a vaginal hysterctomy and it took around 4 weeks to recovery enough to go back to work, I will tell you it took about a year to get my hormones back in order. I do take premarin and would not go a day with out it, the hot flashes and night sweats were not fun for the first two months, but it is all good now. It is the best thing I have done, I no longer have sore breast, painful periods,and no more calling into work once a month because I can't get out of bed from the pain. I am able to participate in my children's lives without being a nasty hateful mom... if your doctor is willing and you have discussed all pros and cons with them, then I say go for it, the relief from the pain was worth the month off from work.
goodluck

A hysterectomy should be your last resort. I took the pill for a number of years due to a hormone imbalance. I suffer from cystic breasts and my doctor (a number of years ago) recommended a specific diet to reduce the sysmtoms. It consisted of avoiding specific foods including cafine, and adding suppolements vitamins b6 I think and E. I was realy surprised how well this worked for me. Ask your doctor for a referal for a breast specialist and they can help give you some ways to reduce the pain from the cysts.

I had a Hysti at 35 and Never felt better. I did the Hormone patches for a while, then the monthly injections. When we moved to TX in 91 I learned to give them to myself. Very easy to do. I was like with the pain and flow, horrible. I had a complete no ovaries left in. They usually *I have heard anyway* dry up after a few years and will need to be removed anyway. You could still develop Cysts on them later on if left.
I do not take any type of rpt now. I haven't had night sweats or hot flashes either. Nor have I started any type of odd strange hair growth...lol
Hope this helps with your decision.
God Bless you
K., Mom of 2 grown son's, Nana of 5
Couldn't be happier.

I had my hysterectomy at 37.It was the BEST decision I ever made!!! As long as you are SURE you are done having children. I had a vaginal hysterectomy they left both ovaries and havingleft both ovaries there is no need for the hormone replacement. NO REGRETS!!!and I would do it again. I have talked to alot of women who thought it was the best thing they had ever done. the reason behind my decision was a prolapsed uterus. I have had 6 pregnancies and was sure I did not want anymore children. there were other choices but they would have probably only been temporary and I would have ended up with the surgery anyway so I did it! Between your 3 choices I know it would be an easy one for me. You have 2 children who can't live without you whether it be for the 1 week a month or the chance of cancer.

PLEASE before you do anything, consult an endocrinologist---tell them your symptoms and see if they can do thyroid testing on you first. Even though I'm older than you when I had my hyster. I instantly got old. Wouldn't want you to have anything done if not necessary. Best of Luck.

I have not had a hysterectomy, but I have had cancer.

Not everyone who takes the pill will get cancer, but it is a possibility. Mine was not related to reproductive organs (I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma 10 weeks after the birth of my second child).

I'd recommend getting another opinion to see if it's in line with what your OB/GYN is recommending, and then get a third if they're split on recommendations.

I'd find out as much as you can about the real risks of staying on the pill vs. being on hormone replacement therapy. There is a subspecialty of Endocrinology called Reproductive Endocrinology (you may have already seen such a specialist with all your previous medical concerns). They would be a great source of information about the risks of adding hormones back into your body medically.

There's also a company, Myriad Genetics, that has tests available that most insurances cover to verify if you're a carrier for breast/ovarian cancer genes. If you're believed to be at high risk because of your options, that may help you make a decision.

Good luck. I know it's not an easy choice to make. I just hope you get the BEST medical opinions and make a decision you don't regret. As someone who's had cancer, I'd never wish it upon anyone.

Dear J.,
I myself had lots of bleading problems due to cervical cancer, the Dr. tried lots of procedures like LEEP, freezing etc... Needless to say I became pregnant with my third child and they couldn't do anything until after I had her. After I delivered I bled very hard for 9 weeks they tried standing me on my head, everything. Very hard decision but it became a no brainer, so at the age of 27 they took me in for a hysterectomy, very risky considering I just delivered 9 weeks prior, but everything turned out fine. They left my ovaries, so I don't need supplements. I am now 35 and still no problems "Thank GOD" Good luck to you.

Have you tried any alternative therapies: acupuncture, homeopathy, nutrition/herbs? May be good to try those before doing something irreversible like hysterectomy, which may come with a bouquet of its own problems.

So sorry for all your troubles. At age 45 I had been hospitalized for severe anemia, later that year I had a total hystorectomy . It was the #1 best gift I ever gave myself. My pain was gone and life has been so much better.
If having another child is not an option, it may be the best way to go. My best wishes for your return to health.

I'm sorry you have this decision to make and I have not experienced it myself, but my sister is 40 and just got a hysterectomy. She had to get a traditional one because they had to pull out a fibroid the size of a small Nerf football, but everything went well and after her first 2 weeks of rest, she's back at work. I know that she kept both ovaries. She had some great support at home to keep her resting those first 2 weeks. Best of luck to you.

Hi J.,
I am recovering right now from having a hysterectomy on Dec 30. I am 43 and had huge fibroid tumors which caused heavy bleeding and blood clots. My recovery is going well. My procedure was laproscopic so I am recovering faster than i would if i were cut.

I decided to go through with my hysterecomy because a friend of mine had one when she was 37. She said it was the best thing she ever did. I experienced missing my 1st period but I was in recovery mode but it was exciting to miss it. Good luck with your decision. I am happy I finally did it.

J.,
I had the same isuues you had but every month. The week before I would get so irritable and the week of, the pain would have me in bed. I would pass huge clots. My husband and I knew we didn't want any more children so I had a hysterectomy at the age of 32. The doc left my ovaries since I was so young. It has made a huge improvement. I was told I may still have the mood swings each month. It has been four years since the surgery and no mood swings yet. I will some day have to take hormone replacement. It was worth it. My recovery time was very short. I would recomend it. T.

Have had a hysterectomy at 28 had similar problems like yours, Had severe period to where once a month I was down becasey the clots were so bad it was like giving birth several times a day I was very anemic due to the blood loss all the time would go through three boxes of kotes in 7 days , never could get preg. once I had the hysterectomy I had major hot flashes but love the after effect no periods to worry about nothing ,and the hot flashes since have gone I get them maybe once in a while I am 51 now but never regretted having it done ( by the way mine was a total so I had nothing left inside the endometriosis was so severe that it grew inside my bowel lining, causeing many bowel problems ..
I was on hormone replacement for a while but since have been taken off, I no longer take any I think it depends on your body itself good luck there is also a much easier way to have a hyster. now to were you can be up and moving in a few days my neice just had one where they dont have to cut you at all .. good luck

I am 33 and had a hysterectomy for almost the exact same thing. It was the best decision ever. I am pain free (back pain is also gone), no periods but I still have my ovaries. They are monitoring those and eventually they may take out and put me into menopause but for now she took off the cysts and its the best of both worlds.

I also had robot surgury and was feeling better in about 3 weeks. 6 weeks to fully recover 8 weeks till I could have sex again.

The only regreat I have is not doing it back 8 years ago when this all started. The downside is that we can't have anymore kids it worked out for us because we have 2 children already. Also the kids like my moods alot better. 2-3 periods every month with moodiness really sucked.

My story is almost identical to yours! Severe endo (3 laperoscopies and 1 laperonomy (big incision)) and 6 months of lupron shots. None of this helped my pain levels at all. I have wanted to bear children all my life, so taking the pill was not an option for me. We've been TTC for 15 years!

Then, I discovered Bio Identical Progesterone cream. I get mine thru Arbonne International (I became a consultant after it helped me so much!!). It's a cream you rub on soft tissue areas 2 weeks out of the month. Since I've been using this, I still have some pain, but it has helped. I've been able to put off the hysterectomy (which I will probably still need at some point). If you do decide to go that route, PLEASE don't use HRT. Use natural products like the bioidentical hormones over the counter (like I mentioned above) or prescribed by a doctor and custom compounded at a pharmacy.

If you have more questions about all of this, please email me. I'm not a doctor or nurse, but can tell you more of my story!

It's a tough choice, I know. I'm blessed to have adopted my son 19 months ago, and don't know what choice I'll make in this area either. Praying for you!!

What about a low-dose pill like breastfeeding women take? The low progesterone and no estrogen put you at less of a risk for cancer (which really isn't that high with hormonal birth control).

Have you tried altering your diet? Someone recommended this book to me:
http://www.amazon.com/Fertility-Cycles-Nutrition-Marilyn-...

I haven't read it yet, but I'm hoping it helps with my PMS and awful cramps.

I also really like the Wise Woman Herbal books:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Dstri...

get a hysterectomy!!! ask your surgeon if he/she can do a vaginal or vaginal assisted hysterectomy, smaller incision if one at all and a lot less pain. there is always a possibility they will have to do a larger incision, but ask them to try. why be miserable when there is such a simple solution. if there is no involvement with your ovaries, i suggest u try to keep them for the hormones. if your ovaries need to be removed as well, i suggest hormone replacement. good luck!!!!

Hello,
I just had a Laparoscopy procedure done about three months ago. I had fluid trapped behind my uterus. While inside, they had to remove a cyst from my left ovary and discovered I had endometriosis. I never knew I had it...I don't have the bad cramping or bleeding (yet) but my sister does and tells me how painful it can be.
My doctor wanted to start me on the Lupron shots but I decided against it. I tried the birth control pill but had a-lot of side effects...so, I'm just taking it as it comes and will probably need another Laparoscopy done down the road.
Anyway, I was talking with a friend of mine and she had just had a partial hysterectomy and they did it all by laparoscopy through her belly button and three small incisions. She said it is not as painful as having a regular hysterectomy, there is less chance of infection and you only get a few stitches.
I know if I ever have to have a hysterectomy I will look for a doctor that can do it using Laparoscopy.
If I were you I'd ask your OBGYN for a doctor who can do this.
I'm not sure where you live but my friends doctor she used is Dr. Stepp and his # is ###-###-####. She couldn't say enough nice things about him.
She also had her bowels worked on and had a bladder tuck all through Laproscopy at the same time.
If you have any further questions...send me a message and I can get you in contact with her I'm sure she'd be happy to talk to you about her experience.
Good luck!

Go ahead and get the hysterectomy. Womanhood shouldn't be that dreadful. There are partials and full. My mother had a full hysterectomy when she was in her early 40's. Afterwards she was a different woman. She didn't have problems like she went through before. I think she's on a hormone type things, but it isn't the normal HRT that most women think of. There are different kinds of HRT options today. Some are a pill. Others are a cream that are prescribed and measured "just for your body". Talk to your OBGYN. In fact, my mother really calmed down, became less stressed and much much much less moody. She is a different person than the person that raised me.