Menopause Induced By Surgery

Menopause is the period of a woman’s life when her menstrual cycles stop completely. In case of natural menopause, there are three stages: perimenopause, menopause and post menopause. However, menopause is not always natural. It can be induced by surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy.Surgical menopause refers to menopause caused by the surgical removal of both the ovaries before natural menopause. If the ovaries are removed after natural menopause, the surgery makes no difference. Ovaries are removed surgically by bilateral oophorectomy. Sometimes, the ovaries are damaged due to radiation or chemotherapy. Surgical menopause results in the loss of fertility of a woman and is also the cause of premature menopause.Surgical menopause puts an abrupt end to the natural production of ovarian hormones. As a result, women experience hot flashes, vaginal dryness and reduced of sex drive. This kind of menopause increases the risk of heart diseases and osteoporosis.Surgical menopause is carried out on women who have cervical, endometrial or ovarian cancer. It can also be the treatment for uterine fibroids, infections and endometriosis. Hysterectomy together with bilateral oophorectomy causes surgical menopause. If the ovaries are not removed during a hysterectomy, surgical menopause will not occur.The surgeries involving the removal of the two ovaries have been discussed below: Abdominal Resection: In this kind of surgery, the rectum and the colon is removed but it can also be extended to the removal of ovaries, uterus and the rear vaginal wall partially or completely. This surgery is a treatment for rectum and colon cancer. Total Pelvic Exenteration: This surgery is performed to deal with cases of cervical cancer where most of the pelvic organs like the uterus, ovaries, vagina, bladder, urethra, fallopian tubes and some portions of the rectum are located.Surgical menopause is sudden. A woman menstruating today may have t undergo surgery the very next day. Contrary to natural menopause, this process is not gradual. The symptoms, which include hot flashes, mood swings, bouts of depression among many others, however, are similar in nature.After the surgery, the patients are given estrogen to get rid of hot flashes. It is advisable for women who have high cardiovascular diseases to not take estrogen. Herbal therapy with Black Cohosh could be an alternative treatment. Patients should abstain from taking progestin. ERT or Estrogen Replacement Therapy helps to keep in check the symptoms of surgical menopause. It prevents osteoporosis and reduces the risk of heart diseases. However, too much of estrogen increases the risk of endometrial cancer. Thus, it should be taken with progesterone to reduce the risk and get the best results.