Surgical Menopause

Menopause is a normal change of life for every woman. Some women, however, experience menopause before they normal age range of forty-seven to fifty-two years old. Early menopause can be caused by a number of different factors, but one of the most common factors that causes early menopause is having a hysterectomy. In this case, it is usually referred to as surgical menopause. During hysterectomy, one or both of the ovaries are taken out of the woman's body. Additionally, the fallopian tubes and the uterus are removed as well. Because the hormone levels in a woman's blood are controlled by the ovaries, those hormone levels drop immediately. As a result, the woman's body essentially experiences hormone withdrawal symptoms. The woman is forced into menopause immediately after surgery, bringing on symptoms right away. These symptoms can be far worse than the symptoms a woman might experience during normal menopause, as it doesn't hit as gradually for women experiencing surgical menopause as it might with a woman who is undergoing normal menopause. For women who are dealing with surgical menopause, the night sweats are frequent, and they tend to last a few years. Hot flashes tend to occur several times a day and usually go for ten minutes each session. The levels of depression with women who experience surgical menopause are quite high. Moreover, surgical menopause puts a woman at greater risk for diseases in later life. These diseases can include osteoporosis and heart disease.

If just one ovary is taken from the woman's body, a woman will go into a natural menopause cycle. If the uterus is removed without taking the ovaries, the menstrual cycle will stop, and the other natural menopause symptoms will appear at an earlier age than most women will experience, but they will not come on as strongly as if a woman had both ovaries removed during surgery. It is quite possible that the early onset is caused when surgeons reduce the blood flow to the ovaries during the surgery. There are a number of differences between surgical menopause and natural menopause. When a woman experiences natural menopause, the ovaries simply stop producing eggs. The menstrual cycle ends, and the woman is not capable of having babies at that point in time. Post menopause begins to occur when the cycle has ceased for twelve consecutive months. Normal menopause occurs between the ages of forty-seven and fifty-one, and at this time, the hormones estrogen and progesterone stop their production in the body.

If you are experiencing surgical menopause, it is essential that you and your health care providers understand exactly what treatments you will need right when you wake up from surgery. This can help to calm you and make you feel a bit better about the process you are currently undergoing. If estrogen is not given to your immediately, you may wake to discover some side effects are already occurring. You may feel overwhelming depressed. You may feel anxiety, heart palpitations, or hot flashes. You may sweat uncontrollably, you may have trouble sleeping, and you may even have trouble with your memory. You might have itchy skin, your joints may ache, and you may have headaches on a frequent basis. This can be terribly disorienting because most women fall asleep in the operating room feeling quite well, but wake up just the opposite. Most women will be started on hormone replacement therapy immediately upon waking up in the recovery room. You may wish to try to ease yourself away from this treatment in the long run and work your way to natural remedies, but it is essential that you start with hormone replacement therapy. If you are about to experience surgical menopause, talk to your doctor about what to expect.