Hysterectomy is also sometimes referred to as surgical menopause and women who are advised and are considering a hysterectomy often hesitate to take the decision as regards this very major surgery made hesitant by the thought of the side effects after a hysterectomy.
The way that any particular woman responds to a hysterectomy is of course vastly diverse and may differ immensely from woman to woman depending on factors such as the kind of hysterectomy performed, age of the woman, and whether the surgery was performed before or after natural menopause.
However, there are certain commonly noted side effects after a hysterectomy which follows here:
Physical side effects after a Hysterectomy: While many women experience these side effects, many may not and some may in fact the opposite experience:
- Hot flashes are a common side effect after a hysterectomy and so are correlated side effects such as night sweats etc
- Fatigue and listlessness may often occur
- Hair loss or a coarsening of body hair may also occur
- Headaches
- Weight gain
- Memory loss or forgetfulness
- Depression and feelings of anxiety
- Women also tend to become prone to heart disease and osteoporosis
- There may be a reduced interest in sexual intimacy
- Sex may be painful and the woman may experience vaginal dryness
As important, or in some cases more important than the physical aspects of a hysterectomy are the emotional side effects after a menopause that many women experience. Since there is a very sudden and drastic change in the levels of hormones in the body, there are obvious physical effects but these hormonal changes can bring about very dramatic changes emotionally as well.
Many women, after undergoing a hysterectomy find their self esteem affected and experience feelings of low self esteem. Menopause is in any case emotionally difficult to deal with for many women, and when it is surgically induced menopause, not only are the physical side effects stronger, so may be the emotional side effects.
So, at this stage, a woman who is facing the side effects after a hysterectomy may need a great deal of support, understanding and some extra TLC as well.
One needs a lot of sensitivity to put oneself in the shoes of a woman who has just lost an important body part, having undergone a hysterectomy and the consequent emotional trauma.
