Maybe it’s just me but menopause seems to be THE topic of the moment.
It is just over 15 years ago, as I write this, that I had a total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo oophorectomy (removal of my ovaries), that would leave me in a surgical menopause. Instantly.
At only 40 years old it was one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever had to face and I’m not alone. Approximately 55,000 women every year are faced with the option of a hysterectomy. In this post I'm going to share my experience, and what I really wish I'd been aware of at the time.
What is Menopause
So, menopause, technically and for most women, is when you’ve had your final menstrual cycle, which naturally happens when the ovaries stop producing oestrogen and progesterone.
All females of a certain age will experience this, some earlier, some much later. And for most this final cycle starts with the perimenopause where the cycle becomes longer and the changes in our body’s fertility begins.
Enter a wide range of interesting and some unexpected symptoms! This perimenopausal stage can last for years.
Connection between Hysterectomy and Menopause
But for roughly 1 in 5, this process of perimenopause is fast-tracked by having a hysterectomy, where the womb is surgically removed.
There are various types of hysterectomy which include removal of the womb and cervix (called a total hysterectomy), removal of the womb, but not the cervix (a sub-total hysterectomy) and if the ovaries and fallopian tubes are removed as well, this is called a hysterectomy with a bi-lateral salpingo oophorectomy.
Whether you go straight into the menopause after having a hysterectomy will depend on the type of hysterectomy you have.
If one or both of your ovaries are left intact you, apparently, have a 50% chance of going into perimenopause /menopause within the next 5 years, regardless of your current age. And so, although you can’t physically ‘bleed’ because the womb has been removed, the female fertility hormones, oestrogen and progesterone, are, in most cases, still being produced by the ovaries, hence not necessarily going straight into perimenopause / menopause.
However, if you have a hysterectomy and your ovaries and fallopian tubes removed at the same time, you will experience an instant menopause, because the ovaries are not there to produce oestrogen and progesterone. Medically, after this type of hysterectomy, you are in menopause immediately because your body has had its last bleed or menstrual cycle.
Yes, instant menopause. No perimenopause to ease you into the idea that your body is changing. It’s just BAM, you are now menopausal.
Things I wish I knew before I had a Hysterectomy
Now if you’ve been offered a hysterectomy with a bi-lateral salpingo oophorectomy you may of course feel like you don’t have a choice, and I totally get that, more than you’ll ever know, but there are some things I really wish someone had told me before I opted to have the operation.
I’ve covered the basics above about the connection between hysterectomy and menopause but for those of you in the position of having a hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo oophorectomy (bye, bye ovaries), here’s a few things I would have liked to be made aware of before I did it.
By the way, I’m not saying it would have changed my decision - because, let’s face it, how can I know that - but for me it is a case of, “if only I’d known back then, what I know now.”
I just want to share a few things, that I think would have helped me, and maybe they’ll help you too.
1. Choices – were there any alternatives I could have looked at for my condition, and if so, what were they?
I had adenomyosis (a type of endometriosis that affects the wall of the womb) and was in severe pain most of the month – for years. But I subsequently found out that there is a link between some gut issues, like candida overgrowth, and hormone imbalances (oestrogen dominance) which at the time I knew nothing about.
I was oestrogen dominant and was put on hormone suppressants and different forms of HRT to try to kick start my hormones into a normal pattern. But knowing what I know now, were there lifestyle changes I could have made to rectify this myself? Perhaps.
Had I known this before – who knows - I may have chosen a different route or exhausted all other options before subjecting myself to hysterectomy and surgical menopause.
I’m not trying to talk you out of anything, merely suggesting you search out all options and make an informed choice before committing, then at least you won’t be wondering in the future, whether there was something else you could have done or tried.
2. Recovery time – So you decide that a hysterectomy is the best option for you, you go ahead with the op, and they tell you, ‘You’ll be back on your feet in six weeks’.
Not necessarily. Make sure you allow yourself time to recover. 6 weeks is a guide, not a limit on when you should be back on your feet. I was so exhausted from being unwell for years and trying to live a ‘normal’ life at the same time. I believe this extended my recovery time significantly as I was already in a deficit before the hysterectomy.
If you opt for, or have recently had, a hysterectomy, please do take your time to recover, listen to your body and only return to work or usual duties when you feel fit enough, not when someone else says you should be ready. I was off work for 12 weeks and I still did not feel 100% okay even then.
3. Grief – This one I wasn’t expecting. I don’t know why, but this did completely blind-side me. I grieved for a lost part of my body, like I had discarded a part of me, and I knew I couldn’t get it back.
Plus, I grieved for the children I could no longer have. Now I know this was part of my recovery, and I’ve met other women who’ve had hysterectomies and didn’t experience anything like it. But if you do, know that you aren’t the only one. If so, give yourself time to process this and let it go and, if necessary, get some help.
4. Shock – I feel like my body kind of went into shock. I was plunged straight into a surgical menopause. There was no gradual process because I had my ovaries removed as well, which meant a drop in hormones instantly.
Because of my experience with HRT and hormone suppressants before the op, I could not face putting myself through anything like that again, so I had to work out a way through this minefield by listening to what my own body needed. For me it was a slow process.
I know some people have great results with HRT or hormone treatments, and I’m pleased for you if that’s the case, but I also know that not everyone does.
If you choose not to, or can’t take hormone replacement, please don’t suffer in silence, search out other ways you can support your body to find balance and peace.
5. Emotional changes – again, because I was reasonably young to have a hysterectomy, or maybe I was just plain ignorant of the symptoms, but I did not know at the time that anxiety levels can increase after the menopause and self-confidence can decrease.
Personally, my anxiety levels went through the roof, and I didn’t know why. I became super anxious over everything, and I thought I was losing it.
It was many years later that I discovered that it wasn’t just ‘me’, and it was hormone / menopause related.
Once I realised, I was able to take measures to help support my body in a way that worked for me. See below for a list of things I still use.
So, there are my top five things I wish I’d known before my hysterectomy.
My list isn’t exhaustive, and I’m sure there are many, many different symptoms that other women experience during perimenopause, menopause and surgical menopause. I’ve only covered the ones which impacted me the most.
I urge you, if you are post-hysterectomy and not feeling yourself during this time, do some homework and find out if it could be related to your instant menopause and get some help.
I don’t want to be alarmist here, but don’t be fobbed off with, ‘of course you’re feeling off, you’ve had a hysterectomy / you’re in menopause’. FIND SOME HELP. The statistics for death by suicide in women spike in menopause (directly related to how you feel in menopause) so do not leave it if you are feeling unwell, physically or emotionally.
Either look at natural solutions if you don’t want to go down the medication route or speak to your GP or consultant, about hormone replacement or what other help is available. Either way, please don’t suffer, find something that works for you.
If you are considering a hysterectomy, but haven’t decided yet…
The first thing I would do is urge you to look at other options before committing to a hysterectomy. Living a holistic lifestyle can reap many, many benefits. Do your research, if only for your peace of mind after the operation to know you had eliminated other potential solutions.
And, if you do opt for a hysterectomy, speak to other women who have experienced it so you can be as prepared as possible.
However, you can listen to other experiences, but ultimately you have to make the decision, as only you know what you are truly going through, so find some peace in your decision, whatever it is.
Understand that you know your body better than anyone else, be kind to yourself, whether you have already had a hysterectomy, or are planning to opt for one, embrace self-care, take your time to recover and get as much support as possible.
The Essential Oil Solutions that Worked for Me
I’m going to share with you what works for me, but everyone is different, so find what works for you.
It’s 15 years since my hysterectomy and I went into surgical menopause and spend several years fumbling along, just feeling ‘off’.
It was a number of years later that I found out about how a good diet and a healthy lifestyle have a positive impact on how you feel, especially during this time. But, sadly for me, it didn’t smooth out all the symptoms. This is when I found dōTERRA essential oils, by happy accident, as it turns out.
I’m not telling you it will work for everyone, but this is what works for me. And by the way, the supplements and essential oils below are not just for menopause, they work for women in every stage of their reproductive lives (one of the potential options I wish I’d known about previously, but hey ho).
Anyway, I use these daily.
Women’s Health Kit
(available as a kit when you are a doTerra member but also available separately) which includes –
- Phytoestrogen Essential Complex – a women’s supplement containing plant phytoestrogens and concentrated flax seed lignans. For me this is non-negotiable. A while back it went out of stock for several months (the first time in years and years) and I tried other supplements, but nothing came close. (I’m also aware that this supplement may not be suitable for some of you due to previous cancer treatments.)
- Bone nutrient essential complex – a supplement which contains all the necessary vitamins and minerals for healthy bones. I recently broke my wrist rather badly and needed several plates to put it back together. I wondered at the time if there would be signs of anything nasty, but they kept saying I had strong healthy bones and would recover well!
- Clary Calm – this is a blend of essential oils (you can do a DIY version which works beautifully too) that I apply daily to my abdomen, and my wrist pulse points several times a day. Amongst other things it contains clary sage which is soothing and relaxing and can help balance emotions.
For me I find this blend calms my anxiety and balances my mood. I once went away for the weekend without it (I know!) but I definitely noticed I was less balanced and I dread to think what I’d have been like if I was away for longer!
I apply it as a perfume because I like it but if you don’t like the smell you can apply to the soles of the feet 😊
I also use Adaptive blend, (again another blend good enough to be used as a perfume) which is a proprietary blend to both calm and uplift your mood. I use this if things get a bit overwhelming. (Another story, but we’ve had too many bereavements over the past 3 and a half years so this has been necessary to keep me going.)
What to do next
If you live in the UK and are interested in getting your hands on an essential oil sample, fill out the form down below and I will send you one.
If you aren’t in the UK and / or you would like to find out more about essential oils, you can get your hands on a free e-book all about essential oils by completing the form at the top of the post.
If you have more questions about my experience or essential oils, please reach out and email me by using ‘Contact Me’ button.
Whatever you decide to do, sending you big blessings on your wellness journey,
Rebecca