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Hysterectomy and Menopause |
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Written by Webmaster
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By Fran Messersmith
 Hysterectomy and menopause are two words associated closely with women, health, and aging. This brief outline hysterectomy and menopause offers definitions as well as links between the two and explains how a hysterectomy can affect menopause.
Hysterectomy
A hysterectomy is the surgical removal of a womans uterus. In some procedures, the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and cervix are removed, as well. If a woman has not yet reached menopause, a hysterectomy will cause all periods and associated issues to cease, and will make pregnancy impossible.
A complete hysterectomy, the most common procedure, involves the removal of the cervix, as well as the uterus. A partial or sub-total hysterectomy, on the other hand, removes the upper part of the uterus and leaves the cervix in the body. Also possible, in some cases of cancer and other illnesses, is a radical hysterectomy in which part of the vagina is removed along with everything else. This is only done, as the name would suggest, in cases where no other methods are possible to curb the illness.
Menopause
Menopause occurs in all women. It
is the natural cessation of the menstrual cycles and all physiological aspects associated with them. Menopause is often referred to as the change of life because it signals the end of an era: the end of the ability to become pregnant. In menopause the ovaries cease estrogen production. The reproductive system gradually shuts down and the body begins to adapt to changing hormone levels. This causes some unpleasant results.
Menopause normally begins around the age of 50. There are cases of menopause occurring earlier in women, however, for a variety of reasons. Hysterectomy and menopause are closely linked with the removal of the ovaries. This combination is referred to as surgical menopause, as the menopausal cycle began through the surgical procedure, rather than naturally.
Menopause, therefore, is an instantaneous bodily reaction to the surgery. Pregnancy is no longer possible and the woman no longer menstruates. However, if one or both of the ovaries are retained through a hysterectomy, the normal onset of menopause is still possible. Talk to your medical professional for more information.
Fran Messersmith has been studying early menopause symptoms for over twenty years. Read more at Menopause Care Info. |
