Happy Hysterversary to Me!!!
OK. I'm a little late but ... TWO YEARS!! And I've never felt better. Sometimes I can't even remember what it felt like to have a period and, believe me, that's a good feeling.
OK. I'm a little late but ... TWO YEARS!! And I've never felt better. Sometimes I can't even remember what it felt like to have a period and, believe me, that's a good feeling.
posted by Anne @ 8:28 PM
6 Comments:
At 2:35 PM,
Patricia said…
Women who have had anemia caused by heavy and painful periods will often feel relief after having a hysterectomy however there should be a balance.
According to recent research it looks like unless you have a history of cancer of the ovaries in you family the ovaries should be left in tact here are some newspaper articles about hysterectomy for your interest:-
Ovary removal 'raises brain risk'
The female hormone oestrogen may protect the brain
Women who have ovaries removed before the menopause could be increasing their risk of both Parkinson's Disease and memory problems, research suggests.
Removing one or both ovaries at a young age doubled the risk.
Sex hormones made by the ovary may be protecting the brain, said experts from the US Mayo Clinic.
A Parkinson's disease Society spokesman said the Neurology journal study might explain why more men developed the disease.
A large number of women each year have an ovary removed as a result of a cyst, ovarian cancer, or endometriosis.
The health of thousands of women who had undergone surgery on average 27 years ago was examined by the Mayo Clinic researchers.
This also helps to explain why Parkinson's is more prevalent in men than in women
Dr Kieran Breen, Parkinson's Disease Society
As well as checking records for diagnoses of Parkinsonism - movement disorders such as Parkinson's Disease, which can cause uncontrollable muscle tremors - they questioned either the woman or her relatives about the state of her memory.
They found that ovary removal prior to the menopause was clearly linked to an increased chance of poor memory and even dementia.
In addition, Parkinsonism was much more likely in women who had had the operation before the menopause.
Hormone loss
One of the main roles of the ovary, aside from the storage and delivery of eggs, is to produce oestrogen, one of the most important female sex hormones.
Hormone replacement therapy is given to some women who have one or both ovaries removed, but the majority either do not receive it at all, or only get it after the age of 50, said the researchers.
Dr Walter Rocca, the lead researcher, said: "It's possible that oestrogen has a protective effect on the brain and that a lack of oestrogen due to ovary removal may increase a woman's risk of developing memory problems."
He called on doctors to think carefully about the consequences of ovary removal in younger women.
Dr Kieran Breen, Director of Research and Development for the Parkinson's Disease Society, said: "It is well known that oestrogen can protect nerve cells against the effects of external toxins that may be associated with the nerve cell death that gives rise to diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
"This study reinforces previous findings in this area. This also helps to explain why Parkinson's is more prevalent in men than in women."
Removal of ovaries may affect heart
Restraint urged on hysterectomies
By Carey Goldberg, Globe Staff |
August 1, 2005
Among the 600,000 American women who have hysterectomies each year, thousands may die prematurely of heart disease because doctors removed their ovaries along with their wombs, a new study suggests.
It has been medical practice to remove the ovaries of a woman older than 40 or 45 who has a hysterectomy, to eliminate the risk of ovarian cancer, an uncommon but particularly lethal disease.
But the study, which is being published today in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, suggests that women and their doctors should be less reflexive about removing the ovaries during a hysterectomy and more aware of the benefits that ovaries continue to provide well into middle age. Even after menopause, ovaries secrete hormones that help keep bones strong and heart disease at bay.
An editorial suggests that although the study must still be confirmed by other research, doctors will now rethink the advice they give about ovary removal, which is called an oophorectomy.
''While this study is certainly not definitive," the editorial said, ''it is sure to provide significant impact upon clinical practice." Doctors' conversations with older women about ovary removal used to be ''brief and pointed. This is no longer likely to be the case."
The analysis found that 9 percent fewer women whose ovaries had been removed between ages 50 and 54 lived to see their 80th birthdays than did those who had hysterectomies during those years but who had kept their ovaries. As many as 18,000 women a year may die prematurely because of ovarian surgery, said Dr. William H. Parker, the study's lead author.
The older a woman was when she had her ovaries removed, the smaller was the impact on her chances of reaching 80, said Parker, who runs a clinical practice in Santa Monica, Calif., and who is a clinical professor at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine. The younger a woman is when her ovaries are removed, the longer their absence will have an impact on her health.
In addition, women who had hysterectomies but who kept their ovaries reduced their chances of developing ovarian cancer by 40 percent compared with women who did not have hysterectomies.
Women without ovaries cannot have ovarian cancer.
''I would hope that now gynecologists would have this conversation with patients, to say that, like every other issue in medicine, there are risks and benefits," Parker said. ''One of the risks of leaving ovaries in is a small risk of ovarian cancer, but if you remove your ovaries, there now appears to be a larger risk of heart disease and hip fractures."
The question of ovary removal has long been part of a broader debate over whether doctors are performing too many hysterectomies. Nobody questions the need for a hysterectomy, removal of the uterus, when cancer threatens. But it is most often performed for conditions that are not life-threatening, like fibroid tumors or excessive menstrual bleeding. There are now more options for these disorders besides a hysterectomy.Also even with cancer there is an over enthusiasm for hysterectomy as cone biopsy is often a very effective way of removing all the cancerous tissue.
Page 2 of 2 --The ovaries can usually be left intact among women who have a normal risk of cancer, but the medical attitude has often been: ''When in doubt, take them out."
Alerts ''That's similar to saying, 'You might as well remove the elbow so you won't get tennis elbow.' It's true, but at what price?" said Winnifred Cutler, a reproductive biologist and founder of The Athena Institute, a research institute in Chester Springs, Pa.
Cutler reported in a scientific journal back in 1984 that the practice of removing healthy ovaries could not withstand scientific scrutiny, but the controversy persisted. The latest federal data, from the late 1990s, have found that 78 percent of women between ages 45 and 64 who undergo a hysterectomy have their ovaries taken out as well, though most are not at particular risk for ovarian cancer.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that the decision about ovaries be tailored to the individual. But in practice, reads the editorial in today's journal, the dominant approach has been that patients under 40 should avoid ovary removal, that those over 55 should have it, and that 45 is a good cutoff point between the two groups.
Doctors had long relied on the assumption that women could take hormone replacement pills to substitute for lost ovaries, but research three years ago suggested that in many cases, those hormones did more harm than good.
''In the present atmosphere, it's very unlikely that women will be taking hormone replacement therapy, and until this is all worked out, I think leaving the ovaries behind is an excellent strategy," said Dr. Richard J. Paulson, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Southern California. Paulson was not involved in the new study.
Tess Hoff, a 50-year-old construction designer in Thousand Oaks, Calif., whose ovaries were removed when she had a hysterectomy four years ago, said the surgery probably caused the heart disease that now forces her to limit her activities.
The operation itself, performed to remove a possible tumor, left her with leg pain and pelvic problems, she said in a telephone interview. And the lack of hormones muddled her memory and ruined her sex life, she said.
''Women need to hang on to their ovaries with both hands, kicking and screaming," Hoff said. ''Do not let them take them from you."
Ultimately, said Jonathan S. Berek, a UCLA professor of obstetrics and gynecology and a coauthor of the paper, ''it comes down to counseling the patient and talking pros and cons."
If you are a woman of average cancer risk whose doctor has recommended ovary removal, he said, you should ask whether the surgery will help you live longer.
''And the answer, based on this, is: It's not."
Carey Goldberg can be reached at goldberg@globe.com.
I remember it took until the 60’s for people to even start talking about the female orgasm, well
take a look at at two medical diagrams, a woman’s reproductive organs and a mans's, actually a woman's look very similar to a mans only they are larger and on the inside it doesn’t take much imagination to realize that they
play an important part in creating our zest for life.
No! The ovaries play a large part in the hormonal balance of your body
even after they have officially stopped ovulating and this is why there are so many stories about women becoming depressed after their castration. (Castration is the medical name for this operation by the way)
The attitude that something should be removed in case of something
going wrong it is as if to say that nature doesn’t know what it is doing.
If you think you will be able to replace what nature gives you with
Hormones well good luck to you there were nearly a thousand deaths
In UK alone last year due to prescription drugs and the pharmaceutical companies are laughing all the way to the bank.
Hold onto to your balls girl and read the book
‘Misinformed Consent’: Women's Stories About Unnecessary Hysterectomy
by Lise Cloutier-Steele, Mary Anne Wyatt, and MD, Stanley T. West (Paperback - Feb 1, 2003)
This is also a form of medical bullying and it must be stopped NOW!
At 1:00 AM,
Anonymous said…
hello... hapi blogging... have a nice day! just visiting here....
At 10:50 PM,
Karen said…
Hey Anne,
I found your blog while doing some research for a story I am writing and would love to interview you, if you are interested. I am looking for an "insiders" view on the hysterectomy experience and recovery.
Thanks,
Karen
At 10:50 PM,
Karen said…
Hey Anne,
I found your blog while doing some research for a story I am writing and would love to interview you, if you are interested. I am looking for an "insiders" view on the hysterectomy experience and recovery.
Thanks,
Karen
At 12:05 PM,
Unknown said…
This is such a great blog - so informative, and a little fun! I have a website, www.shareWIK.com, and would love to hear from you! ShareWIK (share What I Know) is a website devoted to bringing together women from all different situations and backgrounds (as well as a few men!) to talk about their experiences and learn from each other. This week on ShareWIK is hysterectomy week, where we are talking about the new and improved hysterectomy procedures, and I would just love to get your intake. Hope to hear from you!
- Diana Keough
P.S. And keep up the great work!
At 3:33 PM,
Alexandra said…
How's your sex life?
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