Removing the Uterus

My wifes OB is recommending the removal of just her uterus and not her other female parts because of PMS problems that she has been suffering from all of her life. This seems drastic to me, and was wondering if anyone is familiar with this and how it will affect her emotionally and sexually. She has been on antidepressants most of her life and the ones she has been on for the past year cause her, to not be herself. There seems to be nothing that works for her. They either turn her into another person or they don’t take care of the PMS problems.

quest

How old is your wife?

What kind of PMS problems? In younger women the ovaries are left behind so that normal hormonal levels are maintained. Early removal of the ovaries puts the woman at risk for osteoporosis unless the hormones are replaced. This is probably the main reason that the “other female parts” are to be left behind.

Good to see you posting again btw.

I seem to remember your wife had doubts about pe is she ok with it now? If you remember I kept pe a secret for nearly a year, my wife knows now and she is pretty cool about it.

My wife is 35. She was on desepremine for years and seemed ok to me other than crying around that time of the month which bothered her. So she started trying other antidepressants and ended up on Celexa. She does not seem to be the same now and went to her OB today and he referred her to a therapist and said they could determine whether other meds would be worth trying, or if removing her uterus would be the answer.
My wife has known about my pe since starting, and lets me continue for my own happiness.

quest

My wife started having some real mental and physical problems due to hormonal changes at age 35. It got harder and harder for us to ignore-she had really changed, she wasn’t at all herself.
We started researching this and found it to be very common with women at this age. We found out that high levels of unopposed estrogen(low progesterone,the hormone that opposes estrogen) is often the cause. You can get progesterone over the counter as a cream or better yet, as prometrium(progesterone) in pill form from your doctor. It helps to read a book about it first to find out when during the month to take it.

It did a world of good for my wife while she was able to take it (she now has a hysterectomy). You could give it a whirl—costs about $13-20 over the counter to try and the results are immediate. It’s now available at our Wal-Mart, online or at natural foods stores.
Of course, progesterone won’t cure someone with pre-existing low seratonin levels(depression)— an antidepressant should do that. It’ll just help with hormonal side of a woman’s problems.
And, if the uterus is taken, but the ovaries are left, the emotional condition, in my opinion, would remain pretty much unchanged, because the ovaries are the main organs making the hormones, not the uterus.
If a woman’s PMS problems are mainly physical, a hysterectamy should help out, I would think. If the ovaries are left, they almost are sure to cause trouble later on, though, from everything I’ve heard.

Of course, this is just my layman knowledge and opinion. My wife and I have been through every problem you’ve mentioned.
Good luck!

Why were women cursed so badly? (rhetorical question) I have no clue, but I do know a partial hysterectomy is supposed to be better than a full. I wish you and your wife luck.

32 and counting…

I can speak from experience on this.

I had a partial hysterectomy in the early eighties. I would have perferred a full (sorry Anna).
Had it been a full I would have started on HRT immediately and not have gone thru menopause.

As hormonal levels change, so does the personality of the person. I went from a nice calm person to a raving maniac (my dog threatened to leave home). Once on HRT I settled right down and became nice and calm again.

Ok, as far as how it will affect her emotionally and sexually. Well, it depends on a couple of things, like how is she now emotionally? If she is in a great deal of pain the surgery will help, if you continue to let her know you love her for the person she is and not an organ, she will be fine. Sexually, hey, like no more fear of pregancy EVER!!!!!!! No more PMS, no more periods, just total freedom. There is a down side to this, once she hits menopause and the hormones do the reverse of puberty, until HRT then it can effect sexual performance and desire. However, once again you need to communicate to her that she is special and you love her for who she is. Trust me, it gets better once the body is back into statis (meaning balanced state).

I would listen to the OB/GYN , get second and third opinions if necessary. This is your special lady’s happiness and general well being we are discussing. Usually, normally, most frequently, the doctor has the knowledge to help you make informed decisions.

Due to your wifes age, I think that the reason to leave behind the ovaries is to maintain normal hormonal level without having to resort to replacement. Sushinekid seems to think that complete hysterectomy would have been preferable in avoiding a relatively sudden change in hormonal status at about the average age of 50. She may have a point. Its very difficult for most physicians to blame behavioural problems on “hormonal imbalance” , esp if measured levels appear normal. I can certainly understand his reluctance.

Sunshine, What has been your experience post hysterectomy? did it affect your experience of sex, specifically orgasm at all? Since the uterus contracts during orgasm I would have thought that there would be a difference in sensation, although I,m not sure that the difference would necessarily be negative. I ask because my wife has a slightly enlarged uterus and a couple of years ago it was causeing some bleeding trouble. The doctor talked of a possible hysterectomy briefly, but the symptoms resolved and the issue was dropped. I am aware that it could come up again.

luvdadus
My wife is not having any problems other than emotional ones. She has had a history of endometriouis but no problems from it for about 7 years. The main problem now is that she is taking Celexa for her PMS, she has no sexual desire and does not get aroused, no clitoral orgasms, she is not as near as affectionate to me and the kids, and a lot of other changes that I believe are side effects of the Celexa. She had been taking Deseprimine for about 6 years prior to trying the Celexa. It worked for her other than she still had bad crying spells around that time of the month. Now her OB wants her to see a Therapist to determine whether they can help her, or if taking out the uterus is the answer. I do not understand how that will help when the ovaries seem to be the hormone producing organ. It also seems to be a drastic measure when there is no physical problems. I liked her when she was taking the Deseprimine, and she agrees that it worked other than the bad crying spells. She does not want to go back to taking it and is looking for another answer.

quest

celexa is the new kid on the block and is probably being used more than it should. its claim to fame is that it has less potential than other ssri’s for inhibiting orgasm. Apparently it inhibits your wifes orgasm, all the ssri’s tend to inhibit libido to one degree or the other. She might try an older drug (not quite as old as desipramine) called trazadone (trade name desyrel). It is not known to inhibit orgasm that I am aware of. Interestingly in men it can cause priapism so it doesn’t affect arousal either. In some cases it has been used in combination with the ssri’s (when the ssri was felt to be essential) to reverse the sexual side effects of the ssri’s.

luvdadus
What about some type of hormone therapy or natural supplements. I took interferon for hep C and it did nothing but f**k me up. I have since been taking a natural protocol of vitamins, Monolaurin, Moducare, and other natural antivirals. My last 3 liver profiles have been normal so I know there can be alternatives. Also you mentioned something about a blood test, and I know her OB did not take any blood.

quest

I don’t know enough about your wifes symptoms or about supplements to be of any help here, sorry.

Luvaduds,

As far as whether or not my sex experience changed after the hysterectomy, the answer is yes and no.

Orgasm wise, no, actually sometimes the intensity was far more than what I ever expected. Sent me into the cosmos.

Relationship wise, yes, long story don’t really wish to share, just know that the story has a happy ending.