Asking for a Hysterectomy--good Idea?

I was very similar to you and had an ablation over 1.5 years ago. I have had no problems since, barely any blood. I went from using TONS of tampons, to maybe one per cycle. I was in pain the same day, fine the next. I highly recommend it. You can always have hysterectomy later if needed.

I am definitely all for the hysterectomy! Like you, I had horrendous periods. Mine would come every 2 weeks and last for 7 days so I felt like I was ALWAYS on my period. I was young and didn't think to ask the doctor for help. We just weren't raised to run to the doctor for anything unless mom thought we were dying. Anyway, I wanted a hysterectomy so badly (I already had one child). I always consider myself lucky because I had a pap smear that showed "abnormal cells." My doctor offered me the option of freezing the cells so I could possibly have more children (I was only 20) or going for the hysterectomy. I didn't hesitate for one second in opting for the hysterectomy. That was over 20 years ago and I have NEVER regretted my decision. If you don't want any more children, there is absolutely no need to suffer with that period!

Okay - N., here's my take.

IF YOU GO THROUGH MORE THAN ONE PAD IN ONE (1) HOUR - GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM - POST HASTE!!! DO NOT use tampons when you are bleeding heavily - you need to be able to see just how much you are bleeding.

I had the ablation done - it lasted 18 months for me. Unlike you - I didn't have heavy periods - I could go months without them.

I had my hysterectomy done on Feb 7, 2011 - YAHOO!!!! NO MORE WORRIES!!! i was out shopping on Thursday (No exaggeration!) I had it done laproscopically and they took everything out vaginally - so my recovery time was good and easy.

If you are done having babies - get the hysterectomy - they can leave your ovaries in and you won't have this non-sense anymore!!

GOOD LUCK!!!

Your doc will probably talk about uterine ablation, where they basically burn the uterus (it's not as bad as it sounds - minimally invasive) and then as it scars over, it stops your periods and makes you infertile. I've heard that it's a picnic compared to a hysterectomy and is the procedure of choice for those with truly heavy bleeding.

I would not do a hysterectomy unless my life literally depended on it (cancer, hemorrhaging, etc.). A friend had one due to cancer and was able to keep her ovaries but the recovery is brutal. It's MAJOR surgery and it affects your bladder. That's what she hated the most - having a catheter in for weeks afterward. I'm sure your doc will mention the ablation (mine did and my periods were no where near as heavy as what you describe) and you should look into that. Don't remove your organs unless you absolutely have to!

I wouldn't get a hysterectomy unless it was absolutely necessary! Have you thought about uterine ablation? I'm sure your GYN will suggest that- I've known 2 people with your same issues that got that done. One of them stopped getting periods altogether and the other one's periods got a lot lighter.

I skipped right past ablation and went to a hysterectomy (kept my ovaries). You are telling my story N.! My super heavy bleeding was caused by fibroids, and my doctor said ablation wouldn't work well just because of that. They need a flat surface to work on, and a fibroid filled uterus isn't flat.

I have to totally disagree with JB. The recovery isn't brutal at all. And I had to have mine removed abdominally rather than vaginally. My recovery was a breeze -- I was at my daughter's first high school softball game the week afterward. There was no catheter, except for when I was in surgery. I was up and walking the day after the surgery. That was the hard part... getting out of bed the first time. But once I was up I was doing great. Don't let people scare you! Talk to your doctor. You could even have it removed vaginally, which is much less invasive than what I had.

My hysterectomy was the single best thing I ever did for myself. I would highly recommend it to you. I have no regrets at all. Good luck with your decision!

My Dr. gave me a choice of ablation or hysterectomy. He also said, the ablation works well for some, not for others. I was DONE with the issues and trouble I was having so I opted for a complete abdominal hysterectomy.

IT WAS THE BEST THING I EVER DID....NO REGRETS AT ALL

I wear the HRT patch, I did not have side effects of weight gain, swelly belly. My boobs did grow from a C-D to a perky DD and I LOVE that, sex drive skyrocketd because no more fear of pregnancy.

Recovery has a LOT to do with your attitude and general health. I was at my daughter's track meet within 3 weeks, driving at 2 weeks and started exercising again as soon as the Dr gave me a go ahead. I'm not the type to sit around and have a pity party, lay in bed and wallow.

Recovery is what YOU make it. I have a minimal scar on my bikini line, can still wear the bikini with no issues. I've never felt better in my life and I had my surgery 9 yrs ago.

the website www.hystersisters.com is a great site with all kinds of information, pro and con.

First thing that crossed my mind is STOP using tampons....they are horrible for your body! Pads may be be comfortable and such but are much better for you than using a tampon. I actually cannot use them anymore (since high school) because they messed me up so bad..ended up with a nasty infection.
I pray for healing for you!

I had endometriosis and after the birth of my only son, it came back much worse than it had ever been before. I had a laproscopy to remove the endometriosis but it came back again a few months later. I decided at that point rather than going through any of the other treatments to have a hysterectomy. I personally feel that it was the best thing I ever did for myself. I chose to have everything removed because the endometriosis had hit all of it. I was told that because I was having both ovaries removed that I would need to be on estrogen only. I was prescribed EstroGel by my doctor and it works perfect. You just rub this little amount of gel on your arm daily. I do it right before bed and have not had any side effects. When I first switched insurances, I wasn't able to get the EstroGel anymore. They tried a patch and then pill with me and I suffered from several side effects with those. I finally forced them to allow me to get back on the EstroGel and I've been doing good again. Hope this helps. Good luck!

Definately talk to yor doctor about a hysterectomy. I don't want to scare you but here's my story:
My best friend had LARGE fibroid tumors, some as large as an orange. Her uterus was about the size of a 6 month pregnancy. This lady is about a size 3, so tiny. She had extreme bleeding also with her periods. FINALLY after several months of this and a day when she was running to the bathroom to change her tampon and pad every 15 minutes, she was bleeding through a super plus tampon and pad every 15 minutes, her boss told her to go to the ER and not to come back to work until she was better. She almost passed out driving to the ER. Her blood volume was so low she required 4 units right away. Her blood pressure and blood volume had gotten so low she could have died in her sleep. There just wasn't enough blood to keep her heart going.
My friend is a Reiki Master and had been doing self healing for a long time. Even her doctor admitted that had she not been self healing daily she would have died.
Heavy menstral bleeding such as yours is nothing to mess with. Call your doctor TODAY, get in to see him/her without delay. If you start to feel weak or dizzy get to an ER.
You have a lot of life to live yet.
You only need hormone replacement therapy if they take your overies.

My first thought is to STOP using tampons - regardless if it's a heavy cycle or a light cycle. START using a menstrual cup (Instead soft cup - found at most stores these days, the Diva cup - get it online) or an organic feminine product (found online). Try that kind of change for a few cycles - I didn't suffer from heavy periods but I had horrible cramping every single cycle until I switched to Instead. There is evidence that ordinary feminine products can wreak havoc on us & before choosing a radical surgery like a hysterectomy at your age I would try other natural alternatives for awhile to be sure that it's your best choice. I'm 39 and hit menopause last year (my mother was early as well) but the average age is 52, so I wouldn't count on that unless there is family history. Definitely continue talking with your Dr. & if they aren't supportive of alternative methods besides surgery then I'd find another Dr. Good luck!

I'm right there with ya! I see my Dr. on Tuesday and will be asking for one ASAP.

I've had the D&C for polyps, lasered endometriosis, had two kids via c-section, have a heart shaped uterus and am not a candidate for ablation. Oh, and I have PCOS. Good times.

I have to use a super pad in Depends to keep from leaking out onto my clothes and that still doesn't always do it.

If you doctor isn't willing (I'd be surprised) then find a new doctor. I posted a similar question a couple of weeks ago and got similar responses.

Good luck! Life should not be this hard! The baby maker did its thing and it can go now. (A partial hysterectomy....uterus only, should not interfer with hormones and menapause.)

I had a hysterectomy when I was about 42,somewhat young, but I had terrible periods and when I had to use it as an excuse to get out of jury duty we decided it was bad enough to take care of. BEST THING I EVER DID! I had planned to just have the uterus taken out vaginally and woudlnt need any hormone replacement, but when I woke up in the recovery room I was told there had been some problems and all my "stuff" was stuck to itself with scar tissue from endometriosis and he ended up having to do an abdominal incision and take everything out. I have been taking hormone replacements ever since and have done very well with them. Every year when I have my check up I discuss it again at great length. I know there are some studies out there that show a slight increase for breast cancer with certain hormones, but the numbers are slight and there are far more benifits to taking them than not. It makes your bones stronger, and helps prevent heart diesease and other things. I dont have to ever worry about cervical cancer, ovarian cancer and other things now that all those parts are gone. The surgery itself was not so hard to recover from. I was walking the halls at the hospital the next morning and never used the pain meds after I got home. I barely see a scar and never had to worry about ruining a holiday or vacation with some unexpected period. I even lost 35 pounds in the following year so it doesnt have to mean you will get fat either. Not to say that years later I havent gained some, but it had nothing to do with the surgery. Im very glad I did it.

My mom did, and she doesn't regret it one bit! She was the exact same way with her periods, and was SO grateful to not have to deal with the embarrassment and discomfort after it was finished. My aunt ended up having one done as well because my mom raved about how her life was changed for the better, and just like my mom, my aunt is so happy she had it done. My mom only had her uterus removed (as did my aunt) and neither ever had to take hormones.

I had a D&C and ablation at the beginning of the year for the same thing. My doc said if the heavy bleeding started up again, he would do a hysterectomy (I would only agree to the uterus, no need to take the ovaries, too) - and my bleeding wasn't as bad as yours.

I would have a frank talk with your doctor - get down to the nitty gritty and make the best decision for yourself.

Good luck!

If you just have them remove your uterus you wont need any hormones as those are produced in the ovaries. however, a friend of mine had this and she still got all of the PMS type symptoms when it "would have" been time for her period since the ovaries still function.

I am in pretty much the same boat. After having my tubal I am now very, very heavy and painful. I am looking into Ablation (sp?) instead of a histerectomy. Its less invasive and essentially cauterizes (sp?) inside the uterus so you don't bleed anymore.

I would make sure you have tests done to make sure you are o.k.
I have helped women with heavy cycles and no cycles when they should have them. It is a sign your body is out of balance. I have been able to help these women with a great womens natural supplement that has a hormonal balance to keep the body regular.
I would start by getting healthy and go from there.

I you want more info email me.

N. Marie
____@____.com

I would try the ablation first. I have a friend who had it done and it has made a world of difference for her. I'm also considering the procedure. However, if this is new to you then I would ask your Dr. to run some blood tests to rule out other possible causes for this (I found out that I have an autoimmune disease that was destroying my thyroid, which was messing with my periods and caused me to be iron deficient anemic). But I agree with your husband, don't go taking things out if there are other, less invasive options available.

It's possible to use birth control pills to prevent you from having a period. Have you explored that option?

A friend of mine had a hysterectomy (not sure the reason) and during the surgery they nicked her bladder. She has now had YEARS of pain, kidney infections, bladder infections, more surgery, medication and constantly worries about losing her kidneys. Her health is permanently compromised. Do not assume that major surgery will have the desired outcome. Intervention always introduces uncertainty and risk.
It sounds to me like your doctor is not much help either so a good first step is to get a second opinion.

My mother had very heavy periods for years and was determined not to lose her uterus. She did acupuncture for about 3 years and was able to control the bleeding and the menopausal symptoms until she stopped for good. I know you're not necessarily near menopause but acupuncture would still be a GREAT option for you. Acupuncture has been treating gynecological issues for centuries and its fairly easy to find a practitioner who specializes in women's issues. You should ask your doctor if your health insurance would help pay for acupuncture.
Good luck. And I second the other women who say not to overlook the heavy bleeding. It's really serious.

Are you close to menopause? If not, I'd consider looking into progesterone only birth control, which helps much better with uterine pain and bleeding then an estrogen mix.

At the least, you can try it - - surgery of such extent should be one of the last ditch efforts, not the second attempt.

Hi N.,
I feel your pain....I went through painful, extremely heavy periods due to fibroids, and I had uterine polyps and irregular periods, too. After countless sonograms and a D&C (which didn't help) I was persistent about wanting a hysterectomy. My ovaries didn't work anyway due to premature ovarian failure, and I was tired of the procedures and the worry about my health. I finally had a total hysterectomy a year ago, and it was the best thing I could have done! (My friends who have had them say the same thing.) No more suffering, and no more worries! I was already on low-dose estrogen HRT, so I continued with that; but I no longer had to take progesterone (which I did not tolerate well) - that was a plus. After the recovery period (about 6 weeks) I felt better than I had in years! Good luck....