Hysterectomy is one of the most common procedures in women. In the United States, hysterectomy is one of the most frequently performed surgery. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, in the years 2000-2004, nearly 3.1 million surgeries were performed, equivalent to about 600,000 surgeries per year.
After a hysterectomy, the patient will have some permanent changes in their life. The woman will not have menstrual cycles and cannot get pregnant. If the patient has a hysterectomy before menopause, the menopause will come earlier. Besides, the uterus is closely related to femininity so that the person will have feelings of loss, grief or even depression due to lack of fertility. Apart from those, the women can gain weight after a hysterectomy.
What Is A Uterus?
Uterus or fetus is a genital organ of the female and most mammals including humans.
The uterus is located in the middle of the bladder and rectum and has an upward slanting pear shape. The protrusive upper part is called the uterus bottom, while the lower part is called the cervix. The cervix is in the vagina, and the uterus bottom is linked to one or two fallopian tubes, as per the species.
The Causes of Hysterectomy:
There are many reasons for a gynecologist to decide on a hysterectomy, which needs to be diagnosed accurately by the doctor. Most of the women designated for hysterectomy are due to:
- Excessive vaginal bleeding leads to anemia, which can not be reversed.
- Failure to deliver during birth or due to a severe injury that interferes with bowel and bladder function.
- Uterine fibroma
- Cervicitis
- Severe endometriosis
- Uterine infections
- Pelvic inflammatory disease or the development of a cancer tumor of the pelvic organs.
- Women who wish to have no child permanently may also choose to remove their uterus early
Types Of Hysterectomy
Hysterectomy is usually prescribed by the doctor when the injury to the uterus is life-threatening. Your gynecologist will choose the method of hysterectomy based on your health condition as well as the area of your injury. Hysterectomy is a major surgery that involves removing the entire uterus or removing a part of the uterus.
A complete hysterectomy involves the removal of the fallopian, uterus, cervix and the ovaries if required. Cutting off a part of the uterus means removing only the uterus, and leaving the cervix. Sometimes, partial ablation also needs the removal of one or both ovaries.
Side Effects Of Uterine Surgery
- Irregular mood due to hormonal imbalance.
- Urinary tract infections.
- Weight gain
- Heart disease.
- Body fatigue
- Decreased sexual desire
Why Do Women Gain Weight After A Hysterectomy?
Weight gain is a common phenomenon after hysterectomy, and many women claimed that they experienced weight gain after the surgery. However, women should be aware that weight gain is not due to by the operation itself, it is caused by the lifestyle later. In fact, weight gain is very common for the women in the menopausal period for the reason of estrogen fluctuations.
Besides, when women get older, they tend to experience a sedentary lifestyle with fewer exercises. As a result, fat will be accumulated more in the belly, and weight gain is inevitable with those females. Thus, after hysterectomy, no matter how old the women are, they come into the menopausal period. The Woman’s Health Centers offer the best OBGYN services, and we will make sure all of our patients feel comfortable and safe.
Furthermore, many women who underwent a hysterectomy have some joint pain, which makes it very hard or even impossible for them to take exercise. Consequently, they will gain weight. Nevertheless, the major cause for the weight gain is attributed to the psychophysiological change in women, as cited by CPOE.org. After the uterine-removing surgery, the possibility that women cannot give birth is almost total, which can make those females sorrowful or depressed.
Additionally, the imbalance in hormones forces the women to become extremely sensitive, emotional and even depressed as well. To deal with the situation, some women rely on food. That they eat lots combined with the sedentary lifestyle makes their weight increase uncontrollably. This may additionally contribute to their bad sensation and get them stuck in the cycle. To sum up, obviously, weight gain after hysterectomy is not a kind of its side effects, but it is a result of an unhealthy lifestyle and bad feelings.
Therefore, if women can be aware of that or prepare some solutions for these issues before undergoing the operation, they can avoid weight gain.
How To Avoid Weight Gain After Hysterectomy
- Remain healthy eating habits. Never eat fast food or fatty food, eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. Reduce the amount of food in each meal or divided into many meals (5 or 6) to eat a day.
- Drink sufficient water (1.5-2L per day). Water helps in metabolism, resulting in burning calories faster. Drink a glass of water before meals to fill up the stomach, leading to feeling full faster and eat less.
- Try to do exercises like working out at the gym, running, swimming, or playing sports. Even if you cannot do those kinds of exercise, let’s try to go jogging for 1 hours.
- Remain good mentality by traveling, reading favorite novels, watching favorite shows, learning some new things, talking to others, and so on. Do everything that makes you happy.
- Sleep well enough. It helps both in metabolism and in remaining good mood, otherwise gaining weight will continue and catching diabetes is inevitable.
Weight gain after hysterectomy is very common, so don’t worry too much about it. If you try to obtain a healthy lifestyle, hysterectomy will never affect your weight.
Author Bio:
This guest post is by Emily Pham, a blogger with many years of experience in searching the best natural home remedies for beauty and health issues. All content provided is for informational and educational purposes. We recommend you consult a healthcare professional to determine which method is appropriate to you.