Endometriosis - Conservative Surgery

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After Hysterectomy

After hysterectomy, women may have hot flashes, a symptom of menopause, even if they retain their ovaries. However, women who have a hysterectomy are less likely to have hot flashes than women who have a natural menopause.

If both ovaries have been removed in premenopausal women, the procedure causes premature menopause. Other menopausal symptoms include vaginal dryness and irritation, insomnia, and weight gain.

If hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is recommended after hysterectomy and ovary removal, it is given as estrogen-only replacement therapy (ERT). (Women without ovaries do not need to take combination estrogen-progesterone HRT.) Estrogen-replacement therapy carries certain risks, including stroke and possible increased risk of breast cancer. [For more information, see In-Depth Report #40: Menopause.]

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After a total hysterectomy, in which the cervix has been removed, a woman does not need annual Pap smears of the cervix. However, she still should get regular pelvic and breast exams.

Review Date: 07/26/2010
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).