Hysterectomy anyone?

[mollipops]

After a visit to a friend (mum of 3) who has had a hysterectomy thru keyhole surgery and is really pleased with it (no more periods, pap smears or fear of pg), I'm seriously considering this might be an option for me.

We have discussed the possibility of dh having a vasectomy, but they are not 100% effective are they? And as we fell pg very quickly with both ds and dd, I don't think I'd feel safe with that. Plus there the other bonuses of no periods or pap smears! (Downside - no excuse to get out of sex one week a month!)

Its a bit scary though, being surgery and all...does anyone have any feedback for me?

It is a bit drastic, isn't it? It has all sorts of repercussions hormonally - there is a 50% chance you will go through the menopause within 5 years of having a hysterectomy if your ovaries are NOT removed (if they are removed the you would of course go through th menopause immediately.) this can affect you in all sorts of ways.

It just seems like a really extreme form of birth control. It is true that vasectomies are not 100% effective, but the most common reason that women get pregnant after their partners have a vasectomy is because the man fails to attend the follow up appointment to check that it has worked. Can't you get your tubes tied, or whatever???

How can a uterus be removed thru keyhole surgery???? Surely it's not that small!

A hysterectomy will almost certainly accelerate your menopause. I can't imagine any dr offering it as as contraceptive. You can be sterilised, but that's different. Try the Mirena coil. It's as effective as sterilisation and lasts for years.

A friend had a prolapse after 4 children in quick succession. When deciding between a repair or a hysterectomy, she was told that a hysterectomy can lead to bladder and/or bowel prolapse in later years because the uterus etc help 'prop up' those bits of your body. She had a very successful repair op, in the end. BTW there is a type of hysterectomy that can be done via the vagina, not sure how common it is, though.

God no !!

The women I know who have had hysterectomies all seem to have had problems afterwards.

When I signed the consent form for my C-section, I expressly denied permission for them to do hysterectomy in the event of trouble, and told DH that he had to be certain I was in mortal danger before he gave permission.

I think male Gynacologists tend to "whip 'em out" too eagerly, cos they don't understand the consequences.

It is quite a serious operation, far more so than a c-section or a lubal ligation. You will have a higher risk of an early menopause with all the risks that go with that, osteoporosis, heart disease. It can be done via the vagina, but it is still major surgery. I doubt that a surgeon would be persuaded to do it without good reason (tho I know that some are a bit hysterectomy happy). I doubt that you would get someone to do it for contraceptive reasons

God no! When I was in the gynae ward following a miscarriage I was lucky enough to be surrounded bgy the hysterectomy crew. One woman was kind enough to give me the low down on her sister's and SIL's hysterectomies as well. Not to mention her double repair. I came away thinking "please no". I have no idea how they would do it with me anyway- my bladder and uterus are stuck together following c-section with ds1. I dread to think what its like in there now I've had another c-section.