Having a Hysterectomy at Age 39 Was the Best Decision I Ever Made

I had a hysterectomy at age 39 even though it was scary.

When I was 18 years old and about to start college, my mother almost died. She became extremely anemic after experiencing months of increasingly heavy periods.

Having a hysterectomy at age 39 was the best decision I ever made.

My mother’s experience with uterine fibroids and heavy periods

When my mother was admitted to the hospital, a nurse told me she had never seen someone still conscious with a blood count that low. And yet, she didn’t receive blood transfusions until several days later because the gynecologist mistakenly thought my brother could donate blood for her.

We later learned that her excessive bleeding was caused by an enlarged uterus full of uterine fibroids. During spring break of my freshman year of college, my mother finally had a hysterectomy.

I believe the prolonged blood loss and lack of sufficient oxygen to her brain caused my mother to have Alzheimer’s disease much earlier than she would have otherwise.

Fast forward to now…

My experience with uterine fibroids and heavy periods

Like my mother, I have had heavy, painful periods for most of my adult life. During exploratory surgery to look for endometriosis following a miscarriage, my obstetrician-gynecologist instead discovered a fibroid on the outside of my uterus. She took photos of it but did not try to remove it.

After giving birth to my youngest child and going off gluten and dairy for eight months while breastfeeding, the uterine fibroid on the outside of my uterus became undetectable on an ultrasound. My periods became manageable for the first time in my life.

But in the years following, my menstrual bleeding became increasingly worse over time. I experienced heavy period bleeding with increasingly larger clots, pelvic pressure, and frequent urination for months.

My uterus was the size it would be if I were 15 weeks pregnant.

I went to see an obstetrician-gynecologist last year, and the physical exam revealed that my uterus was roughly the size it would be if I were 15 weeks pregnant.

A pelvic ultrasound showed two golf ball-size uterine fibroids on the back of my uterus (one on the outside and one in the uterine wall) but my overall uterus measurements appeared to be normal.

We contemplated different treatment options to slow fibroid growth, like an IUD, but I eventually decided to go with a permanent fix. I did not want to risk ending up in my mother’s situation.

Several friends who had already had a hysterectomy highly recommended the surgery. They told me it was “life-changing” and encouraged me to go ahead with the procedure.

At age 39, I had a total hysterectomy.

At age 39, I had a total hysterectomy, meaning they removed everything except my ovaries. My uterus turned out to be twice the size it should be.

My gynecologist suspected that they would find adenomyosis, which is similar to endometriosis but contained within the uterine wall and undetectable on scans, in the biopsy of my removed uterus. She was right.

My recovery following a total hysterectomy at age 39

The first two weeks following my surgery were a little rough but I was able to manage the pain with ibuprofen and ice packs. I never experienced severe pain, just a feeling of squeezing inside my abdomen after I would stand or walk for more than a few minutes.

After the initial two weeks, I only felt some lower back soreness as my abdominal muscles worked to rebuild their strength.

Deciding to have a hysterectomy at age 39 was scary but I’m so glad I did it!