Best Health And Wellness Info

A complete hysterectomy (one that includes removal of the ovaries) obviously causes changes in hormone production.  Most women are fully aware that they will need some type of hormone supplementation to make up for the hormones that the ovaries produced.  A problem occurs though when many doctors apparently forget some basic facts about what hormones the ovaries produce.

I just finished answering an email from a nice lady who had a hysterectomy about 10 years ago.  She was prescribed estrogen-based hormone replacement. In addition to being concerned about the potential health risks of the prescribed hormones, she (and her husband) were also upset by her lack of sex drive.

A lack of sex drive can be due to a number of factors, both physical and mental, but when it occurs following a hysterectomy, there is a pretty obvious cause to consider first, but for some reason, it gets by many doctors.

You see, the ovaries produce other hormones besides estrogen, most notably progesterone and testosterone.  It is testosterone that is of most concern with regards to libido and sexual arousal. 

Prior to menopause, the ovaries produce about half of a woman’s testosterone.  Of course, women produce much less testoterone than men, but it is still important in maintaining sex drive and also in maintaining muscle mass and bone density.  So, following a complete hysterectomy, a woman’s testosterone levels are cut in half.  But that’s only part of the problem.

 In most cases, women are prescribed estrogen and/or progesterone following a hysterectomy.  Independent hormone levels are important, but oftentimes it’s the BALANCE of hormones that is the big issue.  In a post-hysterectomy case, not only is the testosterone production cut in half, but the woman is supplementing with estrogen and/or progesterone, so the balance between estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone can be severely altered. 

But wait, there’s more…

I mentioned that prior to menopause the ovaries produce about half a woman’s testosterone.  The other half (and the testosterone produced after menopause) comes from the adrenal glands.  The adrenal glands produce many different hormones, and they are particularly involved in the body’s reactions to stress.  Chronic stress over time can result in overwork and fatigue of the adrenal glands, resulting in a decrease of their hormone production.  This can include the production of testosterone. 

Fortunately, women who have had hysterectomies rarely have any significant stress in their lives (well, maybe just a little). ;-) 

 Anyway, between the loss of testosterone production from the removal of the ovaries, the imbalance between testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone caused by the hormone replacement, and the potential reduction in testosterone from stress-related adrenal fatigue, you can bet that most women who have a complete hysterectomy will have very low testosterone function.  Very low testosterone function usually results in very low interest in sex, as well as decreased levels of sexual arousal when participating in sexual activity.

The bottom line here is that following a hysterectomy, women really should be checked (initially and periodically) as to their hormone levels and prescribed the appropriate hormone supplementation that includes testosterone - not just given a standard prescription for estrogen.

Share This