Q. Will I need to have Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) after my hysterectomy?

A. It depends on your age and ovarian status. After a hysterectomy, most women take hormones until their early fifties, but the number drops to about 10% after that. The decision for or against HRT is an individual one, and your surgeon will help you make that choice.
 

Q. Will a hysterectomy affect my sex life?

A. Studies indicate that women thrive sexually and emotionally after having a hysterectomy. A study of 1,299 Maryland women found they had sex more regularly after surgery.
  • 71% had resolution of their previously low libido
  • 84% had resolution of pain during intercourse
  • 65% who had few or no orgasms before surgery, noted easier, stronger and more frequent orgasms after
 

Q. Does a hysterectomy cause prolapse of my bladder/rectum or incontinence?

A. No. A study of more than 27,000 women confirmed that hysterectomy does not increase the risk of bladder leakage (65% vs. 63%), prolapse of the bladder (32% vs. 33%) or prolapse of the rectum (19% vs. 18%). You might someday experience any of these conditions, but having children, smoking and obesity are the strongest risk factors associated with incontinence and prolapse.
 

Q. Does having a hysterectomy affect my femininity?

A. No. Your sense of femininity is in your brain, heart and soul. No surgery can alter that. Others will know you have had a hysterectomy only if you tell them.


1 Rhodes et al, Hysterectomy and sexual functioning, JAMA, 1999
2 Hendrix, AJOG, 2002, Hendrix, JAMA, 20