FAQs about Minimally Invasive Hysterectomy
Your doctor may recommend a hysterectomy for any number of conditions, ranging from uterine fibroid growths to endometriosis to cancer, that haven’t responded to other treatments.
You probably have many questions about what to expect, so we’ve put together a list of FAQs for our patients who will be having a minimally invasive hysterectomy.
Q. How long will it take to recover?
A. Fortunately, with minimally invasive surgical techniques, the recovery is shorter—usually two weeks or less—compared with the more traditional open abdominal surgery, which requires a hospital stay and six weeks of recovery.
After surgery, we encourage you to get up and move around right away, and you can probably return to work within a week or two if your job isn’t physically demanding. You can start exercising again within a few weeks.
Q. Will I be able to get pregnant?
A. Because a hysterectomy removes the uterus, which holds the fetus until birth, you will not be able to give birth after a hysterectomy. If you hope to have children, there may be other options short of a hysterectomy to deal with your symptoms.
Q. Will I still have periods after a hysterectomy?
A. No, that’s the good news! Menstrual periods happen when the lining of the uterus is shed each month, so you will not have periods once your uterus has been removed.
Q. Will I go through menopause?
A. That depends on the type of surgery you had. Some women have their ovaries removed at the same time they have a hysterectomy. If that’s the case, they go into menopause immediately. If they don’t have their ovaries removed, they will continue to produce estrogen. However, even if they still have their ovaries, women who’ve had hysterectomies do tend to go into menopause a little earlier than those who haven’t had the surgery.
Q. Will I enjoy sex after a hysterectomy?
A. You will need to avoid having sex for a few weeks after your operation, but once you have recovered, you should be fine. If you enjoyed sex before, chances are you will enjoy it afterward. In fact, some women find they are more interested in sex once the painful condition that led to hysterectomy is taken care of.
However, if you were premenopausal and had your ovaries removed, you will go into menopause, and that may affect your sex life. Some women find their desire flagging during menopause because levels of the hormone estrogen drop. If that happens to you, your gynecologist can help you find ways to manage that and other issues related to menopause.
For more information about hysterectomy or other surgical procedures, please contact Specialty Surgical Center. We would be happy to schedule a consultation with one of our physicians. You can call 973-940-3166 or visit our Contact Page. Once you fill out the contact form, an SSC representative will be with you shortly.
Specialty Surgical Center is located in Sparta, New Jersey, and our staff consists of board-certified surgeons and anesthesiologists performing procedures in orthopedics, sports medicine, spinal care, podiatry, urology, pain management, ENT, hand surgery, lithotripsy, brachytherapy, gynecology, and laser surgery.
The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace or counter a physician’s advice or judgment. Please always consult your physician before taking any advice learned here or in any other educational medical material.