Talk to your doctor about the different options:. Recovering from a hysterectomy takes time. Most women stay in the hospital one to two days after surgery. Some doctors may send you home the same day of your surgery. Some women stay in the hospital longer, often when the hysterectomy is done because of cancer. Your doctor will likely have you get up and move around as soon as possible after your hysterectomy.
This includes going to the bathroom on your own. However, you may have to pee through a thin tube called a catheter for one or two days after your surgery. You should get plenty of rest and not lift heavy objects for four to six weeks after surgery. At that time, you should be able to take tub baths and resume sexual intercourse. How long it takes for you to recover will depend on your surgery and your health before the surgery.
Talk to your doctor. Hysterectomy is a major surgery, so recovery can take a few weeks. But for most women, the biggest change is a better quality of life. You should have relief from the symptoms that made the surgery necessary. It might. If you had a good sex life before your hysterectomy, you should be able to return to it without any problems after recovery. Many women report a better sex life after hysterectomy because of relief from pain or heavy vaginal bleeding. If your hysterectomy causes you to have symptoms of menopause, you may experience vaginal dryness or a lack of interest in sex.
Using a water-based lubricant can help with dryness. Talk to your partner and try to allow more time to get aroused during sex. Talk with your doctor and get more tips in our Menopause and sexuality section. You will still need regular Pap tests or Pap smear to screen for cervical cancer if you:.
For more information about hysterectomy, call the OWH Helpline at or contact the following organizations:. Department of Health and Human Services. ET closed on federal holidays. Breadcrumb Home A-Z health topics Hysterectomy. Hysterectomy A hysterectomy is a surgery to remove a woman's uterus also known as the womb. What happens during a hysterectomy? Why would I need a hysterectomy? You may need a hysterectomy if you have one of the following: 1 Uterine fibroids. Uterine fibroids are noncancerous growths in the wall of the uterus.
In some women they cause pain or heavy bleeding. Heavy or unusual vaginal bleeding. Changes in hormone levels, infection, cancer, or fibroids can cause heavy, prolonged bleeding. Uterine prolapse. This is when the uterus slips from its usual place down into the vagina. This is more common in women who had several vaginal births, but it can also happen after menopause or because of obesity.
Prolapse can lead to urinary and bowel problems and pelvic pressure. Endometriosis happens when the tissue that normally lines the uterus grows outside of the uterus on the ovaries where it doesn't belong.
This can cause severe pain and bleeding between periods. In this condition the tissue that lines the uterus grows inside the walls of the uterus where it doesn't belong. The uterine walls thicken and cause severe pain and heavy bleeding. Cancer or precancer of the uterus, ovary, cervix, or endometrium the lining of the uterus. Hysterectomy may be the best option if you have cancer in one of these areas. Although a hysterectomy may cause certain changes in the pelvic areas, it usually does not affect the ability to enjoy sex.
In most cases, a woman can resume a healthy, fulfilling sex life after she heals. The vagina may be slightly shorter than before the surgery, but this should not cause problems with sexual activity.
As long as a woman has had sufficient time to heal, bleeding or pain should not occur. If bleeding or pain does occur during sex, a woman should talk with her doctor. According to a review of several studies , having a hysterectomy does not usually negatively affect sexuality. Most women report either improved or unchanged sexual function after having a hysterectomy. When sexual dysfunction does occur, it appeared to be due to aging or the hormonal changes caused by removing the ovaries.
A hysterectomy may relieve a variety of symptoms that made sex uncomfortable before surgery, such as pain or heavy bleeding. Relief from these symptoms may make sex after a hysterectomy more enjoyable than before surgery. Although many women do not experience sexual problems after a hysterectomy, some do experience complications.
Estrogen levels decrease because of menopause, which can lead to thinning of the vaginal tissues. Thinning tissues may make some sexual activity painful. Vaginal dryness can also develop in the menopause and make sexual activity uncomfortable. Some women choose to take hormone replacement therapy HRT to help manage issues, including vaginal dryness and a decreased libido. You can also talk to your GP or find a counsellor who can offer help with sexual problems.
Our talking about sex page has tips from a psychosexual therapist, which you might find useful. Lack of sex drive can be made worse by depression , menopausal symptoms , relationship problems and stress. These problems are often temporary, but if symptoms of the menopause or depression persist, see a doctor.
Treating menopausal symptoms may boost your sex drive indirectly by improving your general wellbeing and energy levels. Read more about keeping the lust alive. Having a hysterectomy doesn't mean you can't have an orgasm. You still have your clitoris and labia, which are highly sensitive. It's not known what role the cervix plays in orgasm. Some experts have argued that removing the cervix can have an adverse effect, but others have found that it doesn't. A review of the evidence comparing subtotal with total hysterectomy in premenopausal women found both types offered similar results for sexual function.
In a study comparing different surgical methods of hysterectomy, some women noticed reduced sexual sensation. This included reduced feeling when their partner penetrated their vagina, a dry vagina and less intense orgasms. If, before hysterectomy, you had noticeable uterine contractions during orgasm you may find you do not experience these anymore. If your hysterectomy has made your vagina feel drier than it used to be, try using a sexual lubricant. You can buy these over the counter at a pharmacy.
Your surgeon will have advised you to do pelvic floor exercises to help your recovery. Exclusion criteria: The studies examining sexual functioning in women not undergoing hysterectomy were excluded from the study. Classifying, sorting out, and summarizing the data: The obtained data were classified as shown in Table 2.
The review of the studies yielded 5 main categories of results as follows: The effect of hysterectomy on Sexual desire, the effect of hysterectomy on sexual arousal, the effect of hysterectomy on orgasm, the effect of hysterectomy on dyspareunia, and the effect of hysterectomy on sexual satisfaction Table 1.
Two studies reported that most of the patients did not experience any changes in their Sexual desire 11 - In a study, women who had been sexually active before the surgery maintained their sexual activity after the surgery and reported the same frequency of sexual activity after 6 months Another study reported that neither the body image nor the libido decreased after hysterectomy, and no important changes occurred in this regard However, the women undergoing hysterectomy in some studies experienced considerable improvement of Sexual desire 6 , 10 , Furthermore in Gutl et al.
However, some other studies mentioned the decreased Sexual desire after hysterectomy. In this regard, Jensen et al. A study revealed that the poor libido was one of the sexual concerns reported after hysterectomy Some other studies also showed that Sexual desire and frequency of intercourse decreased significantly 20 - Furthermore, problems related to Sexual desire and feeling of women undergoing hysterectomy were significantly higher than those before the surgery Bayram and Sahin revealed that sexual activity significantly decreased 3 months after hysterectomy and proved obvious symptoms of depression that had affected the sexual functioning negatively Tangjitgamol et al.
Kuscu et al. Some studies showed positive effects of hysterectomy on sexual arousal, and some other studies showed negative effects in this regard. Anonymous also reported that the problems related to sexual arousal generally decreased after hysterectomy In some studies, vaginal dryness decreased after hysterectomy, and women significantly improved in terms of sexual arousal and activity 3 months and 2 years after hysterectomy 6 , 16 - However, some other studies reported that hysterectomy increased vaginal dryness and abnormal vaginal contractions.
One of the sexual problems after hysterectomy was inadequate vaginal lubrication that was more constant outcome and eventually decreased sexual satisfaction 9 , 12 , 19 , Lowenstein et al. In Pieterse et al. Moreover, Maas et al. In some studies, most of the patients did not experience any changes in the frequency and intensity of orgasm 11 , Moreover, Rahimzadeh et al.
Some studies reported the failure to have orgasm as one of the sexual problems after hysterectomy, which was significantly higher than that before the surgery 19 , In Thakar et al. However, some other studies mentioned the improvement of orgasm after hysterectomy.
In this regard, two other studies reported that the problems with orgasm decreased after the surgery, and there were very few exacerbated problems 13 , In some similar studies, women experienced significant improvement of orgasm after hysterectomy, and sexual pleasure considerably improved in most of the patients regardless of the type of surgery 6 , 10 , Although libido and frequency of intercourses after abdominal hysterectomy was significantly lower than those before the surgery in Kuscu et al.
Based on the results of Rahimzadeh et al. Badakhsh et al. Thakar et al. According to Dragisic et al. Similarly, sexual problems reported in Bayram et al. Jensen et al.
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