Kia, here is an article, I found...About
sex actually being better.
After a hysterectomy is better, one group
of researchers reports. It's been a
worrisome subject for women.
And while the findings are likely true,
women should still "carefully weigh the
risks and the benefits of hysterectomy,"
says noted expert jennifer berman, md,
co-director of the female sexual medicine
center at ucla school of medicine, los
angeles. While not involved in the study,
she offered her viewpoint.
For some women, sex after hysterectomy --
removal of the uterus -- can create loss
of sensation -- loss of intense female
orgasms, berman explains.
"if women don't have severe pelvic pain or
bleeding, or cancer, they should look at
other options to hysterectomy," says
berman.
Inside the female orgasm
it's long been thought that, during a
hysterectomy, damage to vaginal nerves and
support structures may affect women's
sexual well-being, writes researcher
jan-paul w. R. Roovers, md, an
obstetrics-gynecology professor at the
university medical center in utrecht, the
netherlands.
A hysterectomy can be done either through
an incision in the abdomen or the uterus
can be removed through the vagina.
"gynecologists generally select vaginal
hysterectomy because of reduced length of
hospital stay, fewer complications, and
reduced costs," writes roovers, whose
study appears in this month's british
medical journal.
However, surgeons have not known whether
one technique leaves better sex after
hysterectomy and better female orgasms,
than the other. Does an abdominal
hysterectomy leave more nerves and blood
vessels undamaged? Or does a vaginal
hysterectomy offer more protection to
those nerves and blood vessels?
In this study, roovers and his colleagues
-- in 13 teaching hospitals throughout the
netherlands -- compared effects of vaginal
hysterectomy, abdominal hysterectomy, and
abdominal hysterectomy with cervix intact
in 352 women.
Before hysterectomy and six months after
surgery, each woman completed a
questionnaire asking about their
sexuality: how they perceived their
sexuality, frequency of sexual activity,
problems with lubrication, orgasm, pain,
or sensation in the genitals, and arousal.
Drum roll, please ...
Sex after hysterectomy was better,
regardless of the surgical procedure they
had, he reports. Most of the women -- 310
in all -- were sexually active both before
and after hysterectomy. But of the 32
women who were not sexually active before
hysterectomy, 53% became sexually active
afterwards.
However, for some women, problems
persisted. Some who had abdominal
hysterectomy continued to have
lubrication, arousal, and sensation
difficulties. Ten women who had been
sexually active before hysterectomy were
no longer sexually active afterwards.
In fact, there was a trend in new sexual
problems in some women but no obvious
increase was detected. Roovers notes that
more research is needed in this area to
further clarify the effect that
hysterectomy can have on sex.
The options
for some women with severe problems,
hysterectomy is indeed the best option,
berman tells webmd.
"but women who aren't suffering daily with
pain -- who have a satisfactory sexual
life despite whatever is going on in the
uterus -- those are the women we worry
about, the women who should consider other
options. " berman says.
Female orgasms involving deep pelvic
contractions -- "vaginal orgasms" -- may
be affected by loss of sensation after
hysterectomy, she tells webmd. "those
women will still have clitoral orgasms,
albeit less intense and less satisfying,
they won't lose that ability altogether."
the options to hysterectomy: "if the
problem is fibroids, endometriosis, or
dysfunctional uterine bleeding, there is
endometrial ablation -- a minimally
invasive heat balloon -- which has minimal
risk," berman explains.
"for uterine fibroids, a procedure called
uterine artery embolization shrinks blood
flow to the uterus, which shrinks
fibroids," she says. "this procedure has
been perfected so that it spares the
uterine and vaginal arteries and nerves
from damage."
laser procedures are also being developed
for fibroids, she explains. And for
endometriosis, the new seasonale pill can
help. Seasonale is a birth control pill
that delivers a continuous dose of
hormones for three months, followed by one
week off -- giving the woman a period
every three months.
"we're getting closer and closer to
organ-preserving medicine in women," she
tells webmd. "we're trying to offer women
the same sorts of options we give men."
this study is the first to focus on sex
after hysterectomy and female sexual
well-being, notes roovers. Trends in
persistent problems warrant further study,
he says.
Kristin
