Surgical Menopause: What Is It?
When a woman experiences surgical menopause as opposed to the normal aging process, she is said to be experiencing surgical menopause. The risk of experiencing surgical menopause rises following an oophorectomy, which removes the ovaries. The main organ in the female body that produces estrogen is the ovaries. Menopause sets in quickly after its removal, regardless of the age of the patient undergoing surgery. Although ovulation excision surgery can be performed alone, it is usually combined with a hysterectomy to reduce the risk of long-term disease. A hysterectomy involves the surgical removal of the uterus.
You won’t get your period after a hysterectomy. Menopause does not often follow a hysterectomy, though, unless the ovaries are also removed.
Menopause and Its Consequences
Menopause is most common in women between the ages of 45 and 55. A woman is deemed to be in menopause if her periods have not occurred for a full year. On the other hand, perimenopausal symptoms might begin for some women years before they enter menopause.
Some of the most common signs of menopause and peri-menopause are as follows:
Complications with Surgical Menopause
In addition to the negative effects of menopause, surgical menopause has additional unfavorable effects. These include:
One other complication of surgical menopause is hormonal imbalances. The ovaries and adrenal glands generate progesterone and estrogen, the female sex hormones. When both ovaries are removed, the adrenal glands are not able to produce enough hormones to keep things in balance.
A hormonal imbalance can increase your risk of developing heart disease and osteoporosis, among other conditions. Because of this, depending on your medical history, some practitioners may or may not recommend hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after an oophorectomy to reduce the risk of sickness. Women who have already experienced breast or ovarian cancer will not receive estrogen from doctors.
The benefits of surgery for menopause
Sometimes a woman’s life can be saved by having her ovaries removed and going through surgical menopause. Certain cancers feed on estrogen, which might cause cancer in women to appear earlier in life. Women who have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer are more likely to get these illnesses because their genes might not be able to stop tumor growth.
In this case, an oophorectomy can be carried out as a prophylactic measure to reduce the risk of developing cancer. Surgical menopause can ease the discomfort associated with endometriosis. This condition causes the uterine tissues to swell outside the uterus. This tumorous tissue may impact the fallopian tubes, lymph nodes, or ovaries, which may result in significant pelvic pain. In order to reduce or postpone estrogen production and lessen pain symptoms, the ovaries may be removed. Treatment with hormone replacement is usually not an option for women with this background.
Handling Surgical Menopause’s Symptoms and Signs
Hormone replacement therapy is one tool that doctors may employ to assist patients deal with the uncomfortable side effects of surgical menopause. Hormones lost due to surgery are replaced with HRT.Because HRT prevents bone loss and osteoporosis, it also lowers the risk of heart disease and osteoporosis. For younger women who had their ovaries removed prior to the natural menopause, this is particularly true. Cancer, heart disease, and neurological diseases are more common among women under 45 who have had their ovaries removed and do not receive hormone replacement therapy (HRT).In contrast, women with a strong family history of breast cancer have been found to be at higher risk of developing the disease when using HRT.
To lessen the pain associated with hot flashes, consider the following:
The following actions can also be taken to reduce stress:
Continue to follow a consistent sleep schedule.
Join a women’s support group for those going through menopause or post-menopause.