Fibroids: being thrown into deep with surgical menopause.

44, I have lots of fibroids three very large ones and one in particular that is 20cm in diameter and have an enlarged uterus the size of an 18 week pregnancy. there is also a possibility I may also have endometriosis as well. Been MRI which all came back fine, and will being having a total hysterectomy at some point. I suffer with anxiety and depression and my main concern is how I will be post op. rather worried about going to sleep feeling like my old self and then waking up this surgical menopause feral creature that is going to be hot, sweating, sicky, aggressive, blubbering wreck and basically not me. So I am looking for people who can tell me how they were post op, who went to sleep normal and then woke up to suddenly being thrown into deep with surgical menopause. how did you feel and any advise on how to cope with it:.

[Weaver281]

Hi there, I was in a similar boat April 21 with multiple fibroids, but one was giving them concern after my MRI, so I quickly had a total abdominal hysterectomy with both my ovaries removed (BSO) I had been very unwell before it with extreme pain, constant heavy bleeding making me severely anaemic and had 3 separate blood transfusions so I was extremely happy and grateful to have my surgery. I didn’t feel the effects of surgical menopause straight away, it took a few weeks for it to show. I just had hot flashes and some night sweats but that has significantly reduced now and doesn’t affect my life. The tumour I had was confirmed as a STUMP tumour, and was thankfully benign so I have some follow up care with my gyn-oncology team to keep an eye on me. If you are not having your ovaries removed with your hysterectomy you will not go into surgical menopause, I discussed this option to keep my ovaries with my surgeon team before my op, but for me and the concern about the tumour it was best for me to have mine removed.

I think everyone’s case is different, and if you have benign fibroids then you can also look at HRT before surgery as you potentially could take it to help reduce menopause symptoms if you have your ovaries removed.

Wish you all the best with surgery 🙌

[Hidden in reply to Weaver281]

Brilliant, thank you so much, I have having everything taken out, my main concern was with how the surgical menopause effects people and how fast it comes on and how bad is it, I understand each person is different, I also wanted to know if you have a mental health issue will it make it worse as from what I have managed to scrounge up information wise is very chicken and the egg scenario, But reading your responses has made me feel a little more at easy knowing that its not such an abrupted start into surgical menopause, so thank you very much and I am so pleased your tumour is benign and wish you good health and happiness from here on in.

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I’d felt so ill before my total hysterectomy for fibroid, that I felt great when I re entered the universe. They gave me transdermal oestrogen patches before I was discharged from hospital and it was onward and upward

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If it’s any help I just had 42 fibroids (yes 42!!) removed via open myomectomy 5 weeks ago. Largest 9cm x 9cm and I was ‘the size of 16 weeks pregnant’. Maybe hysterectomy isn’t the only option?

[Bluelady-sing]

Have you had any children? I just because I was offered a hysterectomy only then transactional surgery I have to be cared by that team

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Thanks all for replying to my post, all helpful and very much appreciated and was very interested about the transdermal oestrogen patch, I will look more into that and talk to the consultant when I next see him. I guess my main worry is on my mental health post op and how the sudden throw into menopause will effect me, but after getting frustrated trying to find any consistent information on this I had come to the conclusion that it is a case of "you just have to jump off that bridge when the time comes to it" kind of thing, but I will do my own mental health assessment chart prior and after to see how fair and when to talk to my GP as well as trying and put things into place to easy some of the menopause symptoms like getting a neck fan for hot flush's, try starflower etc. cotton night wear and very light weight duvet. I would like to say having watched the BBC 2 programme on I-player called Your Body Uncovered with Kate Garraway and following some patients who have under gone extreme ops for fibroids and endometrioses which I have just learnt my consultant thinks I may have too has help me feel much more confident in my decision and in the surgery to come. I recommend check it out, they do other health cases too but for me found it interesting and reassuring.