How does a hysterectomy affect a woman”s sex life?
Hysterectomy, or removal of the uterus, is the most common gynecological operation in both Russia and the United States. While in our country doctors often resort to this operation because of cervical cancer, in the United States these are fibroids, fibrosis and neoplastic neoplasms of the uterine wall, which can cause abnormal uterine bleeding and other painful conditions.
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Compared to women in the United States and Russia, women in Western Europe are much less likely to undergo a hysterectomy because different treatment methods are used in Europe. Hysterectomy as a treatment for fibroids is controversial in the medical community, as is the impact of hysterectomy on female sexuality.
Intimate sensations after surgery
Conventional medical opinion is that surgery does not affect female sexuality. If a hysterectomy has any effect, it is likely to improve sex, since the operation relieves discomfort and long-term painful symptoms that interfere with normal intimate life. Some women report an increase in sexual desire and satisfaction from sexual intercourse after surgery.
However, many patients complain of a sudden change in sexual sensations and sexual sensitivity after a hysterectomy. Their desire decreases, they have problems with arousal and orgasm, and they do not get the same satisfaction from sex.
Depending on how the surgeon approaches the uterus, different types of hysterectomies are performed. It can come from the vagina or the abdomen. However, it is logical that the operation may impair sexual function, since any of the surgical approaches usually sever the nerve fibers in this area. However, most published studies support the generally accepted view that hysterectomy generally does not affect sexuality or may increase it compared to the preoperative state.
Favorable statistics
The Dutch study included 352 married women who were asked to fill out questionnaires about their sex lives before (all types of) hysterectomies and six months after the operation. Overall, sexual satisfaction improved. Before surgery, 32% were not sexually active with their partners, while after hysterectomy, only 17% were not sexually active with their partners.
Read also: How female sex hormones affect menstruation, pregnancy and other functions
In fact, it’s amazing how much a person’s behavior, his health and changes in the body depend on hormonal levels. Isn”t it worth it?
At the University of California, San Francisco, researchers followed 63 women with fibroids, some treated with hormonal treatments and others with hysterectomies. Before and six months after treatment, the women filled out questionnaires about their sexuality. Those who had the surgery reported increased sexual desire and improved sexual function. Half of the women treated eventually sought hysterectomy.
At Northwestern University in the US, 70 women were studied before and six months after hysterectomy; 70% said the surgery did not affect their sexuality or increase their sexual desire or satisfaction.
Unfavorable Statistics
Life after hysterectomy. Doctor of Medical Sciences Dmitry Leonidovich Ovodenko. Moscow.
A San Francisco study found that women who had hysterectomies were twice as likely to report “sexual dysfunction” compared to the drug-treated group. The Northeast study is more precise: if 70% of the subjects had no sexual changes at all, then the remaining 30% were more likely to get worse?
Latest data
A recent report has shed light on the impact of hysterectomy on women”s sexuality. At the University of Texas at Austin, there were 15 women with hysterectomies who did not undergo surgery and 17 women with fibroids. Measurements of physiological arousal to erotic videos in these women were carried out using a special vaginal device. Overall, the differences were not statistically significant, but the hysterectomy group had decreased vaginal sensation, suggesting possible sexual dysfunction.
Meanwhile, another Dutch study provided a comprehensive review of the possible effects of hysterectomy on female sexuality.
- The surgery may reduce the size of the vagina, which can cause pain during intercourse;
- The muscle tissue of the uterus contracts during orgasm. Without this climactic element, for some women the sensation may be lost;
- A hysterectomy cuts the nerves involved in the reactions that promote vaginal lubrication and blood flow to the vaginal walls. The latter can reduce sexual sensitivity and change women”s attitudes towards sex. Also, some patients after surgery note a lack of lubrication.
The Dutch group criticized many of the study”s findings as “simplistic views of sexuality.” For example, in two of the three observations above, some women experienced significant loss of sexual function, but this result was ignored and “good news” indicators were put forward.
