To ask for a hysterectomy?

[nonhetnoncisstuff]

Doctors dismissed my period pain for 22 years.

Eventually I was diagnosed with endometriosis, but by that time it had caused so much damage I was rendered infertile.

Aged 40 now, and despite 3 surgeries I'm still in horrendous pain every cycle.

Can I ask my GP for a hysterectomy? Has anyone else been through requesting/doing that?

I can't just wait for menopause as now I know I can't have children, it feels futile (and cruel) to keep having such painful, heavy cycles.

Hi OP. Do be aware that it may not be plain sailing. I had one 6 months ago and still don't feel right. I had no choice because of cancer risk but if I could go back to heavy periods I would. Xxx

You can ask for a referral and ais the gynaecologist. Doesn't always cure all symptoms though.

On paper I absolutely believe women should have the medical care they need, and based on what you say you absolutely should have this option open to you.

What I will say is the ensuing early menopause and medication can make a large proportion of women feel ghastly. It’s a huge shock to the system and some women adjust better than others.

As for most things related to being a woman, there’s no simple answers for most things. But, you can only deep dive into the options, the experiences of others and possible outcomes and make the best choice for you.

Weigh it up carefully, because it already sounds like you’ve had a hell of a journey and you deserve some peace with your body.

I do worry I'd be potentially causing other problems with trying to 'fix' the endo. Wishing you the very best with your recovery x

My best friend has just had one done at the age of 40 after years of agonising and ridiculously heavy periods from her endo. The doctor referred her to see a gyno and he then booked her in for a hysterectomy after doing a scan on her. She had it 2 months later and she has now healed 6 weeks after and is feeling great

This is such a kind post - thank you.

I feel like there's no easy answer, I take on board your points completely.

I'm hoping a few women will say 'I went through this, it was a good decision' but my research so far seems to point towards suffering simply being swapped for some other manner of suffering.

It's just...not fair.

Thank you for posting - that's wonderful to hear a positive outcome for your friend.

I've just had one for endo. Best thing I ever did. You can't even imagine the difference of never having that pain again.

You’ve hit the nail on the head, it’s absolutely not fair, and I’m so sorry you’ve been through so much. But whatever you choose, I hope the GP listens and gives you options. The ability of doctors to dismiss women never fails to amaze me x

I’m so sorry OP. I was dismissed for 25 years and had stage 4 Endo - it was everywhere. However did not have a hysterectomy, instead had excision surgery to remove endo. A hysterectomy will treat adenomyosis (which I also have) rather than endo… but I opted not to have one - was worried about effect of possible menopause and also tbh worried about causing another problem (I also have other health issues to manage). I survive my periods on very strong painkillers. Not ideal though :(

You can absolutely ask for one yes, I did and thankfully I've had a really positive experience. I hope you get the care and the relief from the pain that you deserve.

I had a sub total hysterectomy at 44 due to massive fibroid.
It was the happiest day of my life after a lifetime of pain and indignity

Take a look at NICE guidelines for management of endometriosis first. Hysterectomy may not be in it, in which case you will likely have your referral rejected.
Of course, you can always do it privately...

If you can possibly afford to pay, go private for the surgery. At least have a consultation from a private gyn surgeon. It’s like another world compared to dealing with the nhs.

btw, the poster up thread who said you would be thrown into surgical menopause by a hysterectomy is not correct. They would remove the uterus not the ovaries. So you would still keep your oestrogen levels until natural menopause.

strongly advise research and finding a private gyn. A first appointment is around £300 for Harley st. Worth every penny if you can do it.

Thank you - I'll look into booking a private consult.

I didn't have endo but a severe prolapse and history of horrific periods so had a hysterectomy and repair. So I can't advise on chances of it due to endo (IMHO it should be your choice) but agree with pp to not let early menopause sway your decision. I took FOREVER to recover due to complications during surgery, but can honestly say I don't regret it at all. Once fully recovered (it can sometimes take a year) I can honestly say I've never felt better. I kept my ovaries and went into Peri some 6 years after (at 48 so not unusual) and am fine on HRT.

Happy to offer a couple of names of amazing gynae consults if you need this - both work out of Harley St and are incredible.

I asked for a hysterectomy in my 20s for the same reasons. I was refused due to my age and the risks of menopause so young but was told once I hit 30 they would approve it. In the meantime I was put on medication, prostap injections, which basically puts your body into a false menopause. The idea was to see if my pain would stop when my body believes it's in menopause. I don't know if this is something you have already tried but if not, it may be worth a go. I had huge improvement in my pain levels, it didn't fully stop but I do have other issues besides endo that the injection wouldn't have helped but it was decided the injection at least stopped my endo pain.
If you haven't tried it, do look into it. It will at least give you the opportunity to see if menopause would help your pain and also see how your body copes with menopause before going ahead with a hysterectomy. They were monthly injections for me so if they make you feel shit, you will at least know it will be out your system within a month

I had a hysterectomy at 49. Best decision ever. Have felt amazing ever since. I kept my ovaries so didn't trigger early meno.

The recovery was a bitch but so, so worth it.

I had a total hysterectomy 25 years ago aged 40 and honestly it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done. Maybe I was lucky but I felt so much better from day 1.
The hospital put me on HRT straight away and I’ve been on it ever since, I still feel good and my GP doesn’t see why I can’t stay on it indefinitely.
Actually I’m in the process of having a dental implant fitted and my dentist thinks my strong jaw bone is down to the HRT.

I had a hysterectomy in my early 40s. It took a whole year to properly recover due to one problem or another. Game changer was sorting out my HRT. I tried various options and doses until finally found what worked for me.
So don't despair, give yourself time and hopefully you'll feel a lot better in a few more months.

This isn't true. It depends entirely on how bad your endo is. Mine was all over and inside my ovaries so they have been removed. It was on my bowel too. I'm on HRT patches and coping just fine on them though. I waited a while to start them after surgery so I did experience some menopause symptoms and the HRT has completely taken them away.

Go and see a gynaecologist private or NHS and talk through the stage/location, symptoms and options for management.

It hugely varies from patient to patient what will help and what might cause more issues. Really important is what investigations you’ve already had and what management you’ve tried so far.
Without that information any advice is pretty useless.

You could also ask your gp for any management options whilst you wait if going nhs.