Question: If I Have a Hysterectomy, Will I Go Through Menopause?
Answer: If you need a hysterectomy prior to menopause to treat a women's health issue such as endometriosis or cancer, you're likely to experience an immediate onset symptoms of menopause only if both the uterus and the ovaries are removed during surgery. This type of menopause is called surgical or induced menopause.
If you are able to keep your ovaries during your hysterectomy, you won't experience menopause because your ovaries will still produce hormones. While you won't have periods anymore, you may still experience PMS or PMDD because the hormones made by your ovaries will cause your body to still "cycle" monthly. Occasionally women whose ovaries were not removed during a hysterectomy experience hot flashes due to disturbance of the blood supply to the ovaries during surgery. When you get closer to the natural time you would enter menopause, you may begin menopause a few years earlier than you would have otherwise.
