* Keep an Ovary? What to expect?

I'm writing this for my wife who is now about 4 wks post op. She was able to keep her left ovary. She had to have the surgery because of a large fibroid tumor and endometriosis. What her main concern is , With the one ovary, How will this affect her hormones, what type of mood swings will happen? What is normal after this type of surgery?

Answer from Hyster Sisters:

At four weeks post op, her body is still adjusting to the surgery. Sometimes after a hysterectomy, the ovaries will shut down for a period of time or fail completely. She might experience depression, mood swings, rage, anxiety, panic attacks, heart palpitations, hot flashes, hot flushes, vaginal dryness, vaginal atrophy, thinning of the vaginal wall. These are hormonal symptoms that we experience as we enter menopause. Some are like PMS symptoms (hormonal imbalance).

Every woman is different and some go through this quite easily. She'll need lots of patience and love and support from you. Take care of her while she's healing. It takes a good 6 months to 1 year to heal completely from this surgery.

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