Uterine Cancer Surgery hystere

After a hysterectomy, women usually have some pain and general fatigue. In some cases, patients may have nausea and vomiting following surgery, and some women may have problems returning to normal bladder and bowel function. The effects of anesthesia and discomfort may also temporarily limit physical activity. Diet is usually restricted to liquids at first and gradually increases to regular meals. The length of the hospital stay may vary from several days to a week.

Women who have had a hysterectomy no longer have menstrual periods. When the ovaries are removed, menopause occurs immediately. Hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause caused by surgery may be more severe than those caused by natural menopause. In the general population, estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) is often prescribed to relieve these problems. However, ERT is not commonly used for women who have had endometrial cancer. Because estrogen has been linked to the development of uterine cancer (see Possible Causes and Prevention), many doctors are concerned that ERT may cause uterine cancer to recur. Other doctors point out that there is no scientific evidence that ERT increases the risk of recurrence. A large research study is being conducted to determine whether women who have had early stage endometrial cancer can safely take estrogen.

After surgery, normal activities usually can be resumed in 4 to 8 weeks. Sexual desire and sexual intercourse are not usually affected by hysterectomy. However, some women may experience feelings of loss that may make intimacy difficult. Counseling or support for both the patient and her partner may be helpful.

Reprinted from the National Cancer Institute (NCI)

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Uterine Fibroids Risks Symptom

Uterine fibroids are nodules of smooth muscle cells and fibrous connective tissue that develop within the wall of the uterus (womb). Medically they are called uterine leiomyomata (singular: leiomyoma). Fibroids may grow as a single nodule or in clusters and may range in size from 1 mm to more than 20 cm (8 inches) in diameter. They may grow within the wall of the uterus or they may project into the interior cavity or toward the outer surface of the uterus. In rare cases, they may grow on stalks or peduncles projecting from the surface of the uterus.

The factors that initiate fibroid growth are not known. The vast majority of fibroids occur in women of reproductive age, and according to some estimates, they are diagnosed in black women two to three times more frequently than in white women. They are seldom seen in young women who have not begun menarche (menstruation) and they usually stabilize or regress in women who have passed menopause.

Fibroids are the most frequently diagnosed tumor of the female pelvis. It is important to know that these are benign tumors. They are not associated with cancer, they virtually never develop into cancer, and they do not increase a woman's risk for uterine cancer.

No one knows how many new cases of uterine fibroids occur within any given length of time nor how many women have fibroids at any time. It has been estimated that up to 20 to 30 percent of women of reproductive age have fibroids, though not all have been diagnosed. More careful studies, however, indicate that the prevalence may be much higher. A study of 100 uteri that had been removed in consecutive hysterectomies yielded the following results: 33 had been diagnosed as having fibroids prior to surgery; routine pathologic examination disclosed that 52 had fibroids. However, a surprising 77 specimens were found with fibroids upon very close examination. The majority of the tumors were less than 1 cm in diameter and were missed during routine pathologic examination. These results indicate that more than three-quarters of women have uterine fibroids.

This is a small study, however, and its results should not be interpreted as applying to the entire female population, but as an indicator that perhaps the prevalence of fibroids is much higher than has been believed.*

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*Cramer, DW. Epidemiology of Myomas. Seminars in Reproductive Endocrinology 10:320-324, 1992 Reproduced from the Natinal Institute of Child Health & Human Developement

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Abnormal Uterine Bleeding

Most women experience abnormal uterine bleeding at least once during their reproductive years. The most common times that women experience heavy menstrual periods are during the first few years of menstruation during adolescence and during the final two to three years of menstruating before menopause.

You may be experiencing abnormal uterine bleeding if you're change pads or tampons more often than every one or two hours, or having a period that lasts over seven days.

While it sounds unlikely, abnormal uterine bleeding is also used to describe amenorrhea or absence of menstruation.

Uterine bleeding is always abnormal when:

Some women are concerned, needlessly, by clots in their menstruation. In most instances, brown, black, or red menstrual blood clots are normal. These blood clots are part of the endometrium, which is the lining of the uterus that is shed during menstruation.

Abnormal uterine bleeding, or heavy menstruation, which is called menorrhagia by the medical community, is usually the result of a hormonal imbalance in adolescents during the years following the onset of menstruation, or in women who are approaching menopause. Menstruation is often irregular or heavy during these times because, depending on hormonal levels, the ovaries may or may not release an egg. Another common cause of abnormal uterine bleeding is fibroid tumors. Other causes of excessive bleeding that your healthcare provider should consider include:

Women using intrauterine devices (IUDs) for birth control, may also experience excessive or prolonged periods. If you experience excessive uterine bleeding while using an IUD, the IUD should be removed and replaced with an alternative birth control method.

Usually detected soon after menstruation begins, platelet disorders are the most common blood disorder which causes excessive bleeding; the most common platelet disorder is von Willebrand's disease. Women with von Willebrand's disease commonly will experience not only heavy menstrual bleeding, but nosebleeds, easy bruising, and blood in the stool.

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