No HRT for 6 weeks after hysterectomy surgery?

[Hannah818]

I'm due to have surgery for endo and adenomyosis and it includes hysterectomy-having ovaries and womb removed. I've asked about HRT options and have been told by GP that it's best not to take HRT for 6 weeks after surgery due to risk of clots. I'm worried about surgical menopause and was wondering if others going through same procedure have been given same advice? Does the HRT start 6 weeks after operation?

[Mindfullness4791]

I had a hysterectomy nearly a year ago. I was told 6 weeks, but ended up being 8 weeks by the time I could get an appt with my gp I've since learnt this is incorrect advice as transdermal hrt does not cause blood clots. I ended up suffering really badly with anxiety and I believe the delay in getting hrt has caused me ongoing problems. The hrt also flared up my pelvic pain, so make sure they give you progesterone as well.Wishing you all the best. Please pm if you have any further questions

[Username12345678]

hi, I was told 2 weeks after. But I had been in medical menopause prior to my op and was already taking it prior to surgery

[Sunset-lady]

I've never heard this before. I think the sooner you are put on HRT the better as it will diminish many symptoms. Speak to your consultant or GP. I'd ask for progesterone too not progestin and take it with estrogen gel. You may find you need testosterone too at some point x

[PeriMenoEndo]

Hannah this is nonsense. Many places give HRT before to ensure you don’t crash into menopause. Your GP is clueless. Ask the surgeon to arrange HRT to be given in the hospital and for it to be biodentical. If you have had endometriosis I would recommend taking continuous progesterone alongside (utrogestan) and it also helps with sleep and anxiety. If you don’t feel yourself after a month or so ask for testosterone levels to be tested(also produced by ovaries) as it can be a game changer for mood and energy. Loads more info on Balance Menopause site. Best of luck!

[Hannah818 in reply to PeriMenoEndo]

Thank you, will definitely have a look at the website you mentioned and yes I had a feeling about this GP not knowing much about endometriosis. She kept saying I only needed estrogen only HRT, and when I tried to tell her about the information I found about combined HRT and endometriosis , she said I should only get information from nhs websites. I'm sure I've read about the same info on nhs website! Anyway , thank you so much for info in reply, will discuss with gynae at next appointment too.

[Suds1980]

Hi Hannah, I had a hysterectomy 12 days ago and was told I could start taking HRT two weeks after the op, so I’m waiting for a call back from my GP to arrange this today. I was on Zoladex and Tibolone before surgery, but I had headaches for over 3 months which I think was due to the Tibolone, so hoping to get something else in place.

[Hannah818 in reply to Suds1980]

Hope you're recovery goes well, rank you for sharing 😊

[Cinnamonchoc]

I had been taking HRT prior to hysterectomy and I continued immediately afterwards with Oestrogel and have had no menopause symptoms so far. I had 5 days of injections post surgery to prevent blood clots.

Look at Dr Louise Newson's website or Balance menopause App as there's lots of useful articles on there.

I'm sorry to say that even the "HRT specialist" GP at my surgery gave me incorrect information about fibroids and HRT, so perhaps read information and go to a different GP to request exactly what it is that you would like them to prescribe (rather than asking them what they think). I appreciate that can be difficult to do sometimes, which is why finding legitimate information is important to empower ourselves. I have found Dr Louise Newson's information incredibly important on my journey.

I wish you the very best with your surgery and beyond.

[Hannah818 in reply to Cinnamonchoc]

Thank you! Will have a look at the website and try to get an appointment with a different GP

[Cinnamonchoc in reply to Hannah818]

I've just read PeriMenoEndo's comment and just to add that I was on Utrogestan and Oestrogel prior to surgery. Then, as I had a total hysterectomy, continued only on Oestrogel for 5 weeks.

When I went back to my consultant in week 6, he told me that they found some endo on my uterus and so I would need to continue with daily Utrogestan 100mg.

GPs don't seem to like prescribing Utrogestan - I think it might be more expensive (?) but when they prescribed different brands, I had adverse reactions and so I will push for Utrogestan.

If all else fails and you can afford £80 for 3 months supply, you can request and buy from Boots Online Dr: onlinedoctor.boots.com/

This is what I did originally after reading on Dr Louise Newson's articles. Tried it for 3 months, then went to the GP.

It is so long winded and stressful it shouldn't be like this! But supporting one another to find the right route is so important. Wishing you luck!

[Fudge05]

I had a hysterectomy 12 weeks ago. I was given HRT the morning after my surgery.

I had fragmin injections for 4 weeks after my surgery to prevent blood clots. Nothing was mentioned about the HRT increasing the risks.

[ChicaPixie]

Hello lovely, firstly so sorry you are going through this. I hope your op will go well. I have had my hysterectomy in August last year and unfortunately despite it being through private care my (at the time specialist) also asked that I wait as long as possible. Their explanation was that I have an open wound healing and apparently the recommendation was to wait at least 6 weeks. So I ended up 9 weeks without any HRT. I felt mostly ok menopause wise apart from some crazy night sweats. But I should add that prior to my surgery I was on Zoladex for 6 months so I guess the surgery did not cause my body a huge shock as I was already in medical menopause. From my experience Zoladex menopausal symptoms were actually much worse than what I experienced after. I was also given injections after the surgery to prevent blood clots.

The only thing I would add is that I still don't quite understand why my gyne waited so long for HRT and I have since moved under a gyne who specialises in Endo to make sure that my care is focused on that.

I hope that you can request some answers from the team undertaking your surgery to make sure the guidance is justified and actually appropriate for you. Or maybe if there is another GP you could see just to get more clarity? Wishing you best of luck.