Comments on: Ask Matt: The Pros and Cons of a Hysterectomy

By: Jessye

Jessye — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 02:52:49 +0000

As for regrets of any sort I personally have had more depressing times as it has put me in limbo and the way I feel is no gender instead of transgendered I do notice a drop in my sex drive but I have always had a difficult se drive as due to me not being done surgery I can’t release that tension

By: David

David — Tue, 08 May 2012 18:57:12 +0000

I had all my hormone levels checked. Testosterone, cortisol, thyroid, etc were all in range. I then brought my T higher, bumped up the dose, and that did not help.

By: David

David — Tue, 08 May 2012 18:55:03 +0000

Peter,

I know many guys with negative experiences post-hysto. You jumped right in here to alleviate people’s fears, but really people should think hard before doing this. This is true especially when considering that the guys with negative experiences tend to remain silent due to shame. This results in people hearing only the positive hysto stories and then being shocked after the surgery.

By: Peter

Peter — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:40:13 +0000

Before this scares people I have to say that I have had none of David’s post hysto symptoms. Nothing changed as the result of it, either libido-wise or fatigue-wise, apart from somehow getting used to having long sleeps on weekend mornings, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:39:51 +0000

I forgot to say that my doc knows that I do a higher dose.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:37:43 +0000

David, this might be a dumb question but have you had your T level checked?

My T level is a bit higher than what my doc wanted me to do, but when I lowered it to what he said was “normal male range” I felt like crap (exactly what you describe) and I am wondering-as a non medical person-if maybe you need to do a higher dose?

By: David

David — Tue, 08 May 2012 05:50:30 +0000

I had a hysto back in August of 2011. I had been on T for three years. My experience with the hysterectomy was extremely negative, and I will go into some detail here. While this is not the norm for transmen, I know many other guys who had negative experiences.

After the hysto, my libido tanked. Additionally, fatigue set in that was nearly incapacitating. My joints began aching, and my mood plummeted. I was 29-years-old, I am now 30, and my energy and libido are still not even close to what they were pre-hysto. I have also lost my morning erections that used to fill me with happiness. This has been, and continues to be, the most challenging experience of my life.

The medical explanation for my post-hysto reaction is “surgical menopause.” If you look up the symptoms, you will find what I went through and am continuing to go through. The good news is that I am *finally* building energy, and my libido is waking up. If I can recover 100%, then I will not regret the hysto. If I do not recover 100%, then I will consider the hysto to be the worst mistake of my life.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 22:36:11 +0000

and, among items to weigh in, age. I was 53 or so at the time, by which age many women have already lost their uterus, and menopause is due, if not overdue. The relief of not having to deal with that stuff every month is incredible – I don’t know why I put up with it so long.

By: maddox

maddox — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 22:30:02 +0000

I asked my doctor about the hormone situation with a hysterectomy. She said that she’d recommend taking the uterus out but leaving the ovaries and cervix IN if you aren’t on HRT long-term – either T or estrogen, because some hormone has to be in your system. Otherwise you get a premature surgically induced menopause, which is very unhealthy. From what I can gather, the main risk is bone health, among other imbalances.

If you’re on T long-term, it’s a different issue, because you are at higher risk for PCOS (on the ovaries) so taking those out would be more beneficial to you.

The other items to weigh in on are risk of pregnancy, menstruation, hormonal fluctuations, normal risks of surgery, etc. You can always evaluate the different options and types of hysterectomies and choose a less invasive procedure or a limited or partial hysto.

By: Ganymede

Ganymede — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:55:02 +0000

I am on testosterone and have a hormone-free IUD (paragard), and it is working well. My doctor has consulted with others in her office, and they feel that having an IUD is a great solution for transmen who want to avoid pregnancy– because, of course, T alone may not prevent.

I do eventually want a hysterectomy, and perhaps the oophorectomy, because if I am (a) not using the organs and (b) they are a cancer risk, why have them? Why wait for trouble? Why keep a pregnancy risk? Yet, surgery is scary and I wonder if there is merit in “keeping everything internal I was born with.” I have had issues with cysts in the past, so, perhaps my insurance could cover some of the bill.