Hysterectomy Advice
 

Hello Ladies,

I need some wisdom from those of you who have had hysterectomies. I am going to have at least an oopherectomy (sp?) soon, since I am highly ER positive. But, I am alos considering a hysterectomy since I have a slight family history of uterine cancer.

My onc says taking the ovaries and the bulk of the uterus, but leaving the cervix is the best idea. Says it will help support the bladder and pelvic floor. He also has concerns about the removal of the cervix having a negative effect on sex.

On the other hand, my ob/gyn is in favor of a full hysterectomy, saying that the removal of the cervix will not affect my sex life or impair any other function in that area. He makes the case that it will (of course) rule out future cervical cancer.

Have any of you had this choice or can you comment on your satisfaction with the kind of hysterectomy you had?

As always, thanks in advance for your advice :-)

Hi Erin
I am scheduled for a total hyst. in 2 weeks. Taking everything. I am 43 with family history. I also have a few other issues that made this decision for me. Both my Onc and Gyn as well as my sister in law who had one, said it would not effect my sex life. ( sister swares it all feels the same as before) The biggest change would be dryness and there are several things to help with that. Becky has very good info and might be able to answer other questions. I am sorry you have to make this choice and hope all goes well. I will keep you posted on how mine goes if you'd like. Take care and keep positive, Kriss

My sister had a hysterectomy and I gave her this website to help her research. I too joined so I could learn more. Here is the website http://www.hystersisters.com/

Best of luck to you.

Choices--and finding the "right" answers
 

Hi Erin,

As patients we want to be able to depend on professional advice. But as hard as it can be to believe that providers may not have the right answers, my experience about this is that in general they have not found a way to come up with the best answers.

You have spelled out the reason quite well. We have one single body that has a very complex organization and functions. Each specialized doctor knows a lot about their own part of the body they deal with, or a single type of disease, but not much at all about how all the pieces have to be considered to come up with the best answer for each patient.

It is my belief that until a doctor such as an endocrinologist is given and takes on the responsibility for coordinating that analysis of the body's functions, no matter which doctor gives you advice, the advice will be focused from their own experience only and not based on all the parts that apply most to your situation.

My personal experience:

As a premenopausal woman I had a hyst for benign fibroids 3 years before being diagnosed with bc. I had left the ovaries in and the cervix in. At the time I specifically and respectfully asked my OB-GYN surgeon whether I should take any kind of hormonal support afterward. She said no. In hindsight I think she was dead wrong. I think she doesn't know much about endocrinology or cancer.

There are good reasons to consider leaving in as much as possible, and there are also good reasons for taking some things out. If I were you I would consider at least trying to find and talk with a good endocrinologist who has no bias about the surgery and isn't going to make money from it, or from not doing the surgery, in the hope that maybe you can get some understanding of what hormonal causes and effects (that are so completely invisible to surgeons and oncs) are there for each choice in your particular situation. If the endocrinologist isn't certain about the surgical effects, then ASK the endocrinologist to consult an OB-GYN surgeon and get back to you.

Best wishes,

AlaskaAngel

Erin,
I had a complete hyst, ooph, and my cervix removed last year. I have not had any problems. The doc said that there was no reason to leave it because of the risk of cervical cancer.

Thanks so much for all your replies. I am leaning toward the partial hysterectomy, leaving the cervix. AlaskaAngel, thanks especially for your comments, I think I will consult with a endocrinologist as well.

I have always (until BC ) felt that our bodies were made the way they were for a reason, and I don't want to interfere any more than I feel I have to. I know I have to suppress estrogen production in some way....surgically or chemically, and I think the surgical option is better than yet another chemical over the long term. I will take out the uterus due to my increased risk of uterine cancer...but beyond that I am not comfortable. I have no increased risk for cervical cancer, so I will leave it alone. Also, I can always have it done later, but you cannot go back once it is done.

Thank you all for taking the time to reply!