What are the Side Effects of Uterus Removal

Since a girl hits her puberty, she undergoes the monthly cycle of periods wherein she bleeds once a month. Along with the loss of blood that takes place, a number of other inconveniences accompany the same. This may range from having mood swings to stomach cramps and bloated abdomen. While the nature and intensity of the same varies from woman to woman (in fact in many cases, it varies in the different stages of life for a particular woman), it is a well-established fact that a woman's period does cause her inconvenience.

It is this inconvenience prompted by some medical condition that might make a woman want to remove the uterus from her body. This is especially true in the case of women who have lived their reproductive life or those who do not want to conceive at all. Indeed, a life that is free from periods and all the associated problems seems like a dream to most of us women. However, the fact remains that mere removal of the uterus is not a solution to all our woes. There are a lot of side effects that are associated with the same. This article aims to throw light on some of them.

Side Effects of Uterus Removal

• Long recovery period and potential scarring
• Damage to vagina
• Chances of anemia
• Increased risk of cancer
• Pain
• Problems from anesthesia
• Infection
• Injury to nearby organs
• Early menopause
• Painful sex

• Long recovery period and potential scarring

This type of side effect is normally observed in the case of the conventional uterus removal procedures. Here, a cut is made which is usually vertical in nature. In some rare instances, the cut may be of horizontal nature. Through this cut, the uterus (and in some cases, the ovaries and the tubes) are taken out of the body. This method requires you to remain in bed for weeks after the actual surgery. Also, the scarring that happens during the incision is very difficult to get rid of. In some cases, it may remain for months, whereas in other cases it may be years.

• Damage to vagina

This is one side effect that is observed in the case of vaginal hysterectomy. What happens here is that the surgeon removes the uterus through the vagina. Considering how sensitive the human vagina is, if the surgeon is not extremely careful about the same, this may result in some long-term damage to the vagina.

• Chances of anemia

Irrespective of the type pf uterus removal that you go for, chances are that you may face excessive blood loss during and after the surgery. Such abrupt and huge loss of blood may cause you to become anemic. In the case of some patients, it has been observed that this type of surgery results in blood clots. This type of clots is usually observed in the legs or the lungs and is indeed one of the most dangerous side effects of uterus removal.

• Increased risk of cancer

This side effect is observed in the case of laparoscopic hysterectomy that uses power morcellators to break down the uterus tissues so as to enable the same to be removed through a laparoscopic incision. However, doing this may lead to the unsuspected cancerous tissues spreading all over the body. These tissues may turn out to be malignant over the years.

• Pain

Just like any other surgical procedure, there is a certain amount of pain that is associated with uterus removal. The intensity and duration for the same depends on the type of laparoscopic procedure that you are opting for and whether the uterus is the only organ that is being removed from the body. Natural hysterectomy is the most painful with the same lasting for more than a month. In case of vaginal hysterectomy, most women complain about the pain for two to three weeks. Laparoscopic hysterectomy is known to cause the minimal amount of pain.

• Problems from anesthesia

The pain that was discussed in the previous point was that which a person encounters in the recovery period. To deal with the immense pain during surgery, doctors give anesthesia to the patients (which may either be local anesthesia or general anesthesia). Some women are seen to develop breathing issues and heart problems. This particular side effect is more commonly observed in women who are asthmatic or those who are over the age of 50.

• Infection

Any surgery involves foreign matter to come in contact with the internal human organs. What this means is that there is an imminent risk of infections. Irrespective of the amount of care that the doctors and the medical team cater to the patient might take, there is always the risk of the patient's body reacting to something or the other and in turn paving the way for a host of infections.

• Injury to nearby organs

The human body is a complicated machine and a lot of our organs are cramped up in a very short space. The female uterus is surrounded by organs like fallopian tubes, intestines, pelvic bones and ovaries. Due to human error, it is likely that some amount of damage is caused to the nearby organs in the process of removal of uterus from the body. The nature and intensity of damage may vary and the same may be either long term or short term.

• Early menopause

Most of the cases of uterus removal are triggered by some medical condition and is accompanied by the removal of ovaries as well. In such cases, this may lead you to become premenopausal. In layman's terms what this means that you might end up having your menopause before your due time. Such abrupt onset of menopause will in turn trigger hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, mild fever and other associated symptoms.

• Painful sex

This particular side effect is not all that commonly observed. However, in some cases, it is observed that women who have their uterus removed experience some sort of some pain during sexual intercourse. The pain may range from slight ticklish pain in the lower abdomen to painful cramps. In either case, it might be a side effect of the removal of uterus from the body and if you are experiencing this, it is a good idea to keep your doctor informed about the same.