Happy New Year
I hope you’ve all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
If you are not feeling great, now is a good time to work out what is going on and to start 2025 off by improving your own physical and emotional health.
This month I want to talk about Surgical Menopause. If you’ve had Gynae surgery or awaiting surgery I hope this helps.
In 2017 when I started learning about the menopause and HRT, the care and education for women was virtually non-existent. Today, women are more empowered and have more awareness about the menopause and HRT.
Life after Surgical Menopause.
After reading an article about surgical menopause, I posted on www.facebook.com/bourne2care Women posted about their own experiences of having surgery. Hearing how women felt let down by healthcare professionals was shocking. Of course, all experiences are different and some health services are amazing. However, in 2025 don’t women deserve better?
Coping with major surgery is one thing but many women feel unprepared to deal with the emotional rollercoaster. Not having hormones replaced or not receiving enough HRT can feel like you’ve “fallen off a cliff”. Coping with the emotional effects are harder to deal with than the physical ones. At least if you were told what to expect emotionally and physically women would feel better prepared. Healthcare professionals however need to do more. It still feels a “Postcode lottery” where some women have an excellent service and others do not.
Surgery and Hormones.
A hysterectomy is removing the womb or uterus. There can be many medical reasons for this; heavy menstrual bleeding, fibroids, cancer or Endometriosis are a few examples. The definition of menopause is the stopping of monthly periods. If you have no womb then you won’t have any periods, so you’re now “completed” the menopause. However, we know there is much more to the menopause than periods!
If you still have one or both of your ovaries; they will continue to produce female hormones keeping many symptoms at bay. However, within a few years of your Hysterectomy your ovaries will stop producing these hormones and menopausal symptoms will appear. In my experience women aren’t told this. If you have had your womb and ovaries removed at the same time, then you have no ovaries to produce your hormones. The sudden drop in female hormones can be very significant causing more severe menopausal symptoms.
What Can You Do?
If you are going to have surgery, ask questions at your clinic appointments:
• If you take HRT, can you continue your current medication or does this need to be altered?
• If you are taking tablet Oestrogen, can you swap to oestrogen gels or patches instead?
• Ask how long you can take HRT before your operation.
• Understand the surgery you are booked for and what else they may do if they need to proceed further.
• If you are taking HRT how quickly can you restart it after surgery?
Most women who take HRT DON’T need to stop before surgery. However, all Consultants have different opinions on surgery, treatments and HRT.
How we can help you.
If you’re going to have Gynae surgery and would like to understand more about what to expect why not book an appointment with Diane? With over 36 years nursing experience Diane has a wealth of knowledge and experience on all things menopause!
To book a consultations please go to www.bourne2care.co.uk
What’s Going on in January?
Diane is very excited to be working in partnership with Catriona Hudson a business coach, www.herosandstardust.co.uk to provide a “6 week “Menopause and Mind “programme for David Lloyd club in Worcester. Diane and Catriona have provided talks during 2024 and received excellent feedback!
David Lloyd have demonstrated a commitment to improve women’s health and they are really excited to be delivering the “M Word” at their Worcester club. If you are local, you can book on for free.
Note for your dairy. Diane is taking a 4-day break on 5th February. Please check your HRT levels and if you are running low please email her late January. She won’t be working while she’s away!
