What happens to your ovaries after you get a hysterectomy?

Question

I got a hysterectomy 2 years ago and now Im having pain where my ovaries are ,and sometimes hot flashes.I kept both ovaries. What could be going on ?Could things simply be hormonal as I am not on hormones or maybe menopause. Beleive me Im going to go to the doctor,But I want some ideas to twirl around my head as its the holidays and it may take two weeks. If its hormonal I wonder if theres anything I could get from the health food store? Anyway what does happen to your ovaries after a hysterectomy?

I really wish some people would read my whole question.Its obvious from their answers that they only read the first sentence.

Answer 1

Since you still have ovaries, then they are still producing hormones and nothing happens to them unless something else develops like an infection, tumor, etc. It is possible that you are experiencing an early menopause, and it does happen naturally sometimes even to women without having female surgery.

I had a partial tubal/ovarectomy and several years later, started getting pains in my left side and sensitivity in my lower abdominal area. I went for almost 8 years and visited as many doctors (maybe more). None of the doctors found anything wrong. I finally went to a woman gynecologist. She said she couldn't find anything but sent me immediately for a sonogram and that lead to exploratory surgery. She found adhesion's from my previous surgery and a large tumor. She sat by my bed the day after surgery, said 99.9% of the time that kind of tumor is cancerous. Then she admitted that she was an athiest but had no explanation for my not having cancer except for a miracle. My point is, keep after the doctors about the ovary pain. Just because they don't find something doesn't mean something's not going on. Many of those doctors whom I consulted called me a hypercondriac, among other things.

There are natural remedies that can be used in place of hormone replacement thearpy, but you need to find out if you are in need of hormone replacement. Your doctor can run a test and make a determination.

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What happens to your ovaries after you get a hysterectomy?
I got a hysterectomy 2 years ago and now Im having pain where my ovaries are ,and sometimes hot flashes.I kept both ovaries. What could be going on ?Could things simply be hormonal as I am not on hormones or maybe menopause. Beleive me Im going to go to the doctor,But I want some ideas to twirl...

Answer 3

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Answer 4

I had a partial hysterectomy about 5-6 years ago and was told that sometimes even after leaving the ovaries in menopause could still happen. I was also told that later on the ovaries finally realize that the work that they are doing isn't needed, so they stop working (true story). So it probably is just menopause. See your doctor though.

Answer 5

Since you and your doctor chose to retain your ovaries, they're still producing hormones just as they were before your hysterectomy. They have had a change in blood flow due to the hysterectomy, so the levels of hormones that they produce may have decreased, but they're pretty much independent of the uterus, and don't "know" that the uterus is gone otherwise. Depending on your age, which you don't state, of course, you may simply be going through the menopause you would have gone through anyway, and that may be causing a decline in your estrogen levels as well.

There shouldn't be any pain associated with any of this. If the problems that required removal of your uterus have affected your ovaries in some way (such as scarring, endometrial tissue growth, etc.), then that could be an explanation for the pain.

Unfortunately, there are not a LOT of things that you can get from a health food store that will do much good. Your doctor may want to put you on estrogen to help you with the hot flashes. I deal with this, as I had a hysterectomy and oophrectomy in 2003, and I use a hormone patch, the "Vivelle dot" which delivers a comparatively steady level of estrogen. It has helped me quite a lot. However, your doctor may want you to take something different, and there are quite a few different options out there.

Depending on your relationship with your doctor, you may simply be able to call him/her and ask for a supplemental hormone, especially if you've recently been seen. Until you can get to your doctor, I urge you to get a small fan; hot flashes are MISERABLE!!!!

Good luck!

Answer 6

Ovarian Cyst After Hysterectomy

Answer 7

I had a hysterectomy exactly one year ago. I also kept my ovaries. I am not sure how old you are, but you could be going through early menopause but that isn't due to the surgery.

When you leave your ovaries they still produce the hormones that are produced when you have your menstrual cycle which can still cause during that certain time symptoms like when you previously got your menstrual cycle. This can cause cramping.

I personally had also had pain on mine. I went to the doctors because I didn't understand. Come to find out I had small cysts that formed during the menstrual cycle process because I didn't get my cycle.

There are many different reasons. If you are unsure, you can always call your doctor or go to webmd.com or mayoclinic.com and they have the symptom checker you can use. Or call your doctor directly and tell them you need a consult to talk to them about it.

My doctor understood completely.

Answer 8

Ovaries will keep working some time after a hysterectomy. Here are some more details:

"The ovaries actually float in the space in the pelvis (pelvic cavity), in close proximity to the opening of the Fallopian tubes, which are attached to the womb (uterus).

The Fallopian tubes have a fringe of gently moving 'cilia' at the opening nearest to the ovary, which is known as a 'fimbria'. The wafting of these tiny finger-like tissues encourages the movement of the released egg, or ova, in to the Fallopian tube. They look rather like sea anemones, if that helps to imagine what the appearance of cilia is like.

If the fimbrae are no longer there, then any released eggs fall in to the pelvic cavity and are absorbed in to the surrounding tissues.

Ovaries can keep working for some time after a hysterectomy although the precise time is difficult to be sure of.

Although consultant gynecologists would normally advise that normal ovarian function ceases either almost immediately or within the first year after surgery, some women do experience cyclical mood swings and other pre-menstrual symptoms for much longer than this.

With the usual method of removing the womb by a conventional hysterectomy (through a surgical cut just above the pubic area), the Fallopian tubes are usually removed along with the womb, but the ovaries or the cervix may be left intact.

With a vaginal hysterectomy (more usually performed in older women, particularly when associated with a prolapse), because of the way that the operation is performed, it is more likely that the fimbrial ends of the Fallopian tubes would be left behind.

For women unsure as to whether they have had their ovaries removed or not, it was much more common in operations performed more than five years ago to have the ovaries and Fallopian tubes removed ('bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy') than 'conservation of the ovaries' (ovaries left behind).

It is usually detailed within the letter sent to the GP by the operating consultant exactly what operation has been carried out and if a woman is unsure as to the precise nature of her operation, then it is (usually) relatively easy to find out, by either speaking to her GP or checking with the hospital directly."

Answer 9

Honey, I feel for you. I had an entire hysterectomy ( I had an ectopic pregnancy) and I have HORRIBLE hot flashes. It's so embarrassing. I am not on hormones either. I don't know what happens to the ovaries since I only had one left. It sounds like you are entering premenopause. You have ALL of my sympathy.

Answer 10

If you have a subtotal hysterectomy, you retain your ovaries, and they continue to function as they would have done had you not had your uterus removed. Ovaries (and to some small degree, the uterus) produce hormones that help us retain female/feminine characteristics, and regulate other hormonal balances in our bodies. You may be beginning to experience hot flashes because of changes in the level of hormones contributed by the ovaries. As you guessed, menopause. The pain should not be part of it, and you should definitely ask your doctor about that. As far as supplements from a health food store, I can't suggest anything there because I don't believe there is any benefit to be gained from "natural" products.