There are many reasons that a woman's physician might recommend that she undergo a hysterectomy. Uterine cancer, fibroid tumors and chronic bleeding are a few common justifications. While the surgery can certainly help resolve chronic uterus-related difficulties, and in cases such as cancer, may be a life-saving procedure, the side effects of hysterectomy are similar to those of menopause.
Function
The major function of the uterus is to provide a location for implantation of a fertilized egg each month. The female menstrual cycle occurs as the uterine lining proliferates, and is subsequently shed if no implantation occurs. Menopause, explains MayoClinic.com, is a normal occurrence that marks the end of a woman's fertility, after which the uterine lining no longer proliferates and sheds each month. With removal of the uterus, just as with menopause, menstrual cycles cease and a woman becomes infertile.
Effects
There are additional effects of a hysterectomy, and of menopause, above and beyond the loss of menstrual periods and fertility. Many women experience a decline in sexual desire, explains the New York State Department of Health. In the case of menopause, this is due to the ovaries reducing their monthly secretion of hormones. Hysterectomy patients may also experience a lack of sexual desire, particularly if the ovaries are also removed. Ovarian inclusion in hysterectomies is particularly common if the surgery is for the purpose of removing a cancerous growth.
Considerations
In addition to maintaining a woman's fertility, her monthly cycles also provide hormones that protect her from certain diseases. After a hysterectomy, just as after menopause, women are more susceptible to osteoporosis, or weakening of the bones, notes MayoClinic.com. This is because the female hormone estrogen helps maintain bone density. Further, with less estrogen in the body, women become more likely to gain abdominal fat, which puts them at greater risk for heart disease.
Expert Insight
While hysterectomies that don't include removal of the ovaries don't produce instant menopause, the way surgeries including the ovaries do, MayoClinic.com nevertheless notes that most women who've undergone the procedure experience some symptoms of menopause, like cessation of bleeding, right away, while the other symptoms of menopause tend to arrive sooner than they otherwise might. Such symptoms include hot flashes, emotional changes and sleep disturbances.
Warning
The New York State Department of Health warns that while hysterectomies can be valuable surgical procedures where indicated, they are not reversible. Further, while most women have many years during which to adjust to the physical and emotional changes of menopause, women who experience menopause as a result of hysterectomy go through those same changes very quickly. This can be traumatic, and may make these changes more difficult to accept.
