Oh Please Help!

[breely]

I am scheduled for a vaginal hysterectomy and I was feeling ok about it and decided to do a little more research to be totally prepared. Then I look on here and a few posts say that their sex life was completely ruined. I am a super sexual person. I love it and I love to have fun with it and i love orgasms and I have a tight cervix that makes it feel dang good. I dont want to loose that. Please let their be women out there who still look at their men and moisten randomly. I dont want to be in pain anymore but I dont want to loose this. I am only loosing my uterus.

[bamamom02]

I had a vaginal hyst in Feb. 2009 (laparoscopically assisted) and like you I was very worried about how it would affect my sex drive as I had always enjoyed sex too.

Sex is still good but it is a little different.  I did have my ovaries removed and was using HRT (Vivelle patches) but some bloodwork showed my hormones were not where they should be.  I've since had hormone pellets placed-they are natural (bio identical) hormones.  I do have orgasms but my hubby can't tell the difference in them now or then but I can:  if you have a lot of uterine contraction during your orgasms, you won't have that after a hyst but the sensation is still pleasant.  I do have a little bit of dryness but that is where the fun of lubes come in handy.

The only downside I have is with deep penetration is I do have some discomfort/pain that is where my vaginal stitches were-my doctor told me it will get better with time.  I'm 3 months post-op, so hopefully in a couple of more months that will change.

[Mary 53]

Bear in mind that even if you are keeping your ovaries you may need some hormonal support. There are many varieties of localized estradiol now. I have used Estrace in the past (you use if initially for two weeks vaginally and then about three days a week after that) and I am about to start the Vagi-string, I think it is called. It is also Estradiol (make sure to ask for this and not a synthetic localized product...there is a huge difference). It is used in just that part of the body and will work to keep things moist and vital. This makes a difference not only sexually, but for bladder issues as well (leaky bladder has been a long standing issue for me even before the hysterectomy when I lost my ovaries and I wish now that I'd known about Estrace since I do get so much relief from it ...bladder-wise and for sexually related issues, too).

I lost everything back in 2000 and I will say that things can still be very good...other areas of the body will compensate for what used to be. Vaginal walls still contract during orgasm as well as other areas.

Just don't let this get away from you in that if you need help, advocate for it and keep researching for answers if you need to. Even perimenopause issues can play havoc with your sex life whether you've had a hysterectomy or not and there is absolutely no need for this.

Take care,

Mary

[eliza0104]

breely~ yes and no, in that order!  you mentioned earlier that you have a tight cervix, but you are probably thinking more about your vaginal muscles and not your cervix.  You cervix is typically high up  and closed (unless you are ovulating than it's lower and open) but that isn't typically felt during sex by your partner.  So I doubt he will know the difference

[breely]

do you still orgasm and can your man tell the differance?

[eliza0104]

I had a vaginal hysterectomy (took my cervix and uterus, left both ovaries) two years ago. It did not kill my sex life.  I will say that Astroglide is my new best friend, b/c lubrication is definately lacking but our sex life is just fine!