Hysterectomy Complications
As with any major surgery, a hysterectomy can result in some hysterectomy complications and risks. Although the incidences for hysterectomy complications are low, it still helps to be aware of them in preparation for a hysterectomy.
Early menopause. Women who undergo hysterectomy without their ovaries removed are likely to go into the menopause stage around four years earlier than they normally would.
Blood Clots. Blood clots are common among hysterectomy complications as with most surgeries. Blood clots can form in the patient’s legs and lungs. To counter this, the patient wears stockings on the legs, or takes a blood thinner. Blood thinners may be taken from 3 to 6 months after surgery, depending on the severity of the blood clot.
Organ Damage. This is rare among hysterectomy complications, but one that can still occur. It is possible for some pelvic organs to be damaged during the hysterectomy due the proximity of these organs to the uterus. There are times when the hysterectomy is difficult to perform due to large fibroids or adhesions, and other organs in the pelvis may be unintentionally affected. Some of these include the tubes that connect the bladder and the kidney (ureters), the bladder itself, and the bowel. These damages can usually be repaired easily when they occur.
Infection. Despite taking preventive antibiotics, infections are hysterectomy complications that can still occur in the incision, inside the abdomen, in the bladder, or in the vagina. Infections occur in ten percent of hysterectomy incidents, but these can be cured with antibiotics. Rarely do these hysterectomy complications develop into an abscess.
Bleeding. Bleeding is another common complication among surgeries. Excessive bleeding may require blood transfusion, or may even result in the patient returning to the operating room.
Anesthesia-related complications. Hysterectomy complications can include those caused by adverse reactions to anesthesia. In particular, these can mean breathing or heart problems. Patients who have a lung or heart disease, are obese, or who smoke are more prone to these complications.
Aside from these complications after hysterectomy, other complications can include pelvic pain, constipation, weight gain, and reduced sexual drive.
5 Responses to “Hysterectomy Complications”
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I had I total hysterectomy in 2008 due to my problems with endometeris I’m 35yrs old no children have been with my husband for 13yrs. My sex life has changed drastically and I’m constantly having surgeries every 2-3yrs for scar tissue problems. I’m tired of going through this my purpose to have this surgery was to releave all this pain and surgeries please pleaseeeeeeee. Help me start to find me again oh the hot flashes are killing me and my OBGYN is not a major help and alot of doctors refuse to work with me due to all the complications of surgery my obgyn calls me his problem child. All the hormone medication he gives me fails what should I do to how do I do it to find me again because the mood swings are really separating my husband and I…
Sincerly,
Jackson, Ms
Chikeda, STOP UNDERGOING THE KNIFE! The more surgeries you have, the more complications you may experience such as bowel obstruction, infection, poor wound healing and the like. For ongoing pelvic pain, you may want to consider physical therapy for managing your pelvic pain. Many women have great success with this because they are taught to manage their symptoms without relying on drugs. As for the hot flashes, given your age, I would take some form of estrogen replacement. You may consider taking a pill daily or taking a pill twice a day. For instance, taking premarin .625mg in the am and again in the pm or estradiol 1mg in the am or again in the pm. Make sure you don’t have any health issues such as hypertension, history of strokes, blood clots in your lungs or legs. Estrogen supplementation with these health risks could be dangerous. Don’t do estrogen patches because the humid weather in Jackson, MS will cause the patches not to stick on the skin. In your case, I would add to the estrogen replacement and SSRI such as zoloft or lexapro. These two are known to “tamper down” those hot flashes and make your mood and any other depressive symptoms much better. Give yourself 4-6 weeks before seeing significant improvement. If the flashes aren’t 100% gone, I think giving you relief 85% of the time would be appreciated. Once you start to feel better, the relationship with your husband will change for the better. Good luck.
Chikeda I seriously feel your pain..i had two separate surgeries. in ‘94 one doctor removed the uterus due to endometriosis i thought i was doing good till i switched doctors seven years later. I found out that the ovaries were bad a and he had to do a reconstruction on my colon. the good thing was thats all the farther it went… Now 10yrs later I’ve been on estrace (estradiol) 4mg’s a day my body lets me know when I miss but my question is why for the past two years have i felt like the endometriosis is back I have the most awful intercourse pain like never before…
Chikeda I seriously feel your pain..I had two separate surgeries. One in ‘94 the doctor removed the uterus due to endometriosis. I thought I was doing good till I switched doctors seven years later and found out that the ovaries were bad they were removed and discoverd it had spread to my colon and my doctor had done a reconstructive surgery on the colon. The good thing was that’s all the farther it went… Now 10yrs later I’ve been on estrace (estradiol) 4mg’s a day I try to see if I can do without it but I can’t and my body lets me know when I miss and you may need estrogen or you may not… funny but my sister doesn’t take any mg of estrogen it really messed her up…..I know i have a lot of scar tissue from the second surgery..because I saw the pic’s of my uterine area and it was completely closed up from the first one and they cleaned it up. I was told it will grow back and that would cause major pain during intercourse. I had a few awesome years then wham, the most awful intercourse pain like never before. I was told if I had it removed it would only come back within four years or so but, i truly want to have it all removed, four years of good bangin sex is better than what i’m feeling now. By then I’ll be close to 50 and can only hope my man won’t be able to get it up. So I have a question: does a body know the difference between a synthetic estrogen and the real thing. Because I feel like the endometriosis is back? I truly hurt like it is even when I go days with out intercourse.
Endometriosis is like ‘glue” in the pelvis (significant pelvic adhesions and scarring) and can be difficult to remove. This stuff adhere to bowel, bladder, stiffen the vagina, and even attach to lung and umbilical areas. There have been reports of women experiencing cyclic menstrual bleeding from the umbilicus. At the time of hysterectomy due to endometriosis, the uterus along with the ovaries should be removed. Ovaries produce natural estrogen that stimulate the growth of endometriosis. Oral estrogens regardless of its origin will do the same. This is difficult for many younger women. Early menopause can be brutal. The hot flashes, vaginal dryness, osteoporosis, etc. That’s why ovaries some doctors will leave the ovaries behind.