Hysterectomy?

[Digger]

Pardon me if this sounds like a stupid question, but I've never seen this subject discussed here. This question came up as a former girlfriend (still friends) and I were talking the other day.

If a woman has had a hysterectomy - which would mean she no longer has a uterus - would she be able to take a longer penis? It would seem with no uterus, and thus no cervix to bump into, this would be possible.

Just curious.

 

[D_Fiona_Farvel]

There can still be a cervix after a hysterectomy.
I have no idea if there would be more room, though I assume the lack of hormones could lead to a loss of vaginal tissue making for less room?

 

[Principessa]

I think the vaginal canal stays about the same. The remaining organs sort of shift to fill the gap as it were. :redface: I wouldn't go looking for women with hysterectomies to accomodate a lengthier penis if thats what you are thinking.

 

[SpoiledPrincess]

I don't really know but I have wondered the same thing myself so I'd be interested in knowing too.

 

[D_Tintagel_Demondong]

My sister has HPV and some of her cervical cells are pre-cancerous. Her oncologist hasn't even mentioned a hysterectomy. Since she's already had all the kids she wants, I don't see the usefulness of carrying around all that baby-making equipment if it's not needed. On the other hand, I'm worried about her getting complications from the operation (infection, problems with hormone therapy, etc). I'd love to get an expert's input on this!

 

[SpoiledPrincess]

Pre-cancerous cells don't always go on to become cancerous and they're found at an early stage during smears, they keep them monitored and if it's necessary there are a number of smaller procedures they can use to remove the affected area. She might not need her uterus but a hysterectomy is a major operation and like all major operations it isn't without it's own risks, at one time a hysterectomy was the first choice doctors would make when anything was going on 'down there' thankfully now it's more normal for it to be the last choice. Just because something isn't needed doesn't mean the best option is to take it away, apart from operation risks and the recovery time some women also find a hysterectomy affects them psychiologically, I don't know if it's a valid parallel but I'd liken it to a guy having his balls removed and replaced with prosthetic ones.

 

[Not_Punny]

I don't think that it necessarily makes the vaginal canal any larger, and I've never heard of the cervix automatically being removed in all hysterectomies.

However, every woman I know, old or young, who got a hysterectomy, gained weight soon after.

I know this is a very small sample, and therefore a completely unscientific opinion, but I just don't think we know enough about the function of these organs to just lop them off unless it's completely life threatening.

I mean really, it was only a hundred and fifty years ago when they discovered that you could save a lot of mother's lives by simply washing your hands when you attend a childbirth.

We really DON'T know everything yet.

 

[snoozan]

I don't think that it necessarily makes the vaginal canal any larger, and I've never heard of the cervix automatically being removed in all hysterectomies.

However, every woman I know, old or young, who got a hysterectomy, gained weight soon after.

I know this is a very small sample, and therefore a completely unscientific opinion, but I just don't think we know enough about the function of these organs to just lop them off unless it's completely life threatening.

I mean really, it was only a hundred and fifty years ago when they discovered that you could save a lot of mother's lives by simply washing your hands when you attend a childbirth.

We really DON'T know everything yet.

I agree with this 1276%.

 

[Tattooed Goddess]

My moms ob/gyn said that when they remove your uterus via the vagina and not by an incision on the abdomen that they have to remove the cervix. The remaining tissues left (vagina) are then tacked up to remain where they should be as the uterus is no longer there to help hold everything up.

 

[2322]

A hysterectomy removes the ovaries. It's essentially castration. The endocrine system is so finely balanced that to change any part of it results in changes in the other parts. The pineal, pituitary, and adrenal glands all interact with the ovaries. Remove the ovaries and those glands will work harder and harder to produce follicle stimulating hormones because the ovaries haven't "replied" by excreting the hormones they've been told to. Those glands will be shouting into an abyss, waiting for the ovaries to send back hormones telling the other glands they're working as they should be.

I would say the wisest course, if a hysterectomy is unpreventable, is to develop a course of drugs that mimic ovarian behavior to bring the body back into balance. I also think women should get counseling as it's a major psychological event.

I think gynecology is still a poorly understood branch of medicine and I would love to see it dominated entirely by women themselves as I think it truly takes a woman to understand a woman's reproductive needs.

 

[Tattooed Goddess]

Might i also add, as a person who has horrible menstrual and hormonal problems since i was a teenager. Sometimes our organs are more problematic than useful. If i had the option of having a hysterectomy when i had my c-section knowing what i know now, i would have. Some i've talked to arent entirely happy with their hysterectomy but most i know regret not doing it earlier.

I dont agree with removing the organs that arent in use anymore simply for that reason but im all for being able to make that choice if you and the doctor decide that its the best option for your particular medical problems.

Every woman in my family has had to have her uterus removed from one reason or another. Everyone of them doesnt feel it was a bad decision. Some of them way younger than me when the procedure was done.

Thankfully there are good hormones out there to make your uterus dormant so some of us can live pain free, pms free and free of spending a life sentence in prison for killing some people.

 

[Tattooed Goddess]

Jason i know many younger women who had their ovaries left behind to produce hormones naturally while their uterus was removed. A complete hysterectomy removes the ovaries. Essentially a salpingoophorectomy in addition to the uterine removal.

yes i know im a big nerd. Its something i know a lot about. Some of us have ovaries that are useless in hormone production and still need estrogen to keep us from turning into men. I'd be one of them. I've been on estrogen since i was 17 years old. My ob/gyns agree it is worth the small risk of complications to have a normal sex life in my younger years. Its a decision im fully aware of the possible problems...thankfully there are hormone options that were able to essentially give me a "chemical" hysterectomy. Yay for Modern Gynecological Medicine!

 

[BobLeeSwagger]

There are different kinds of hysterectomies. Sometimes the ovaries and/or cervix are removed too. Sometimes they aren't. Sometimes everything past the vagina is removed. Sometimes the uterus is removed through the vagina and other times it's removed through an abdominal incision. It depends on the woman, the reasons for a hysterectomy, and other health conditions.

I'm not a doctor, but I believe that even if the cervix is removed too, the "end" of her vagina is stitched up in almost the same place that the cervix used to be. Even if the vagina got a little shorter or longer, a guy wouldn't notice unless his length were in that same size change. Also, as has been established, the cervix is not the back end of the vagina, but at an angle to the end. Like I said, I'm not a doctor, so this might just be me guessing.

Having said all that, the only two women that have taken my entire length with complete ease had both had hysterectomies. Who knows if that means anything.

 

[Tattooed Goddess]

I should ask my Mom if she notices a difference since she had a hysterectomy. That will be some good coffee talk indeed!

 

[snoozan]

Might i also add, as a person who has horrible menstrual and hormonal problems since i was a teenager. Sometimes our organs are more problematic than useful. If i had the option of having a hysterectomy when i had my c-section knowing what i know now, i would have. Some i've talked to arent entirely happy with their hysterectomy but most i know regret not doing it earlier.

I dont agree with removing the organs that arent in use anymore simply for that reason but im all for being able to make that choice if you and the doctor decide that its the best option for your particular medical problems.

Every woman in my family has had to have her uterus removed from one reason or another. Everyone of them doesnt feel it was a bad decision. Some of them way younger than me when the procedure was done.

Thankfully there are good hormones out there to make your uterus dormant so some of us can live pain free, pms free and free of spending a life sentence in prison for killing some people.

Well, hell. You changed my mind. I'd be terrified to have a hysterectomy (my mother did), and probably wouldn't choose it for myself. However, you're right, there are a lot of women who get more benefits from it than ill effects. It depends on the woman and her specific problem. I think with my mom the hysterectomy was unnecessary by today's standards-- and I've seen the trouble she's gone through since having it.

 

[SpoiledPrincess]

It isn't normal to remove ovaries when you have a hysterectomy unless they're diseased or causing other problems Jason. I've put a link in which demonstrates the four kinds of hysterectomy that are most commonly performed.

http://www.womenshealthlondon.org.uk/leaflets/leafletimages/hyst04.gif

Like Snoozan my mother had a hysterectomy, in her case because of problems with bleeding, nowadays her problems would have been treated differently but her doctors attitude was 'you don't want more kids, let's whip it out'.

 

[Tattooed Goddess]

I think if you are closer to natural menopause they remove them for the sake of getting them out as they could be become cancerous not being in function like before. If you are many years away from menopause, they tend to leave them in there. Unless you get the uterus removed due to cancer, they dont like to leave any other things in there that could be prone to getting cancer like the ovaries. Standard practice might be different in the UK compared to the USA. I know the c-section rates and whatnot are different.

 

[Tattooed Goddess]

Snoozie....hell my grandmas hysterectomy scar goes from her sternum to her pubic bone, now tell me why in the hell you need an 18 inch scar for a tiny little organ like the uterus? We can deliver big babies in half that incision size. Its so barbaric to think about the old ways of surgery. Im still shocked to find out that shaving your pubic hair, enemas and episiotomies were the norm at an uneventful birth back in the day.

Women used to squat behind trees for pete's sake and pop out infants, do we really need to drape the moms legs down to keep her own blood from getting on her? Geez!

 

[2322]

Water birth in warm saline is best. The stirrups don't allow a woman to push properly and the saline dilates the cervix. The way we do it in the west is ridiculous.

And very glad to know the ovaries are usually left.

 

[SpoiledPrincess]

It must be slightly different BHR here they leave them alone unless there's something wrong with them.

I didn't fancy a water birth, but I didn't have to use stirrups either, they pretty much let you do what you want unless it's medically required. I didn't go to ante natal classes as I figured giving birth is what women have been doing for at least 100 years so my body will know what to do.

It's funny how ideas on giving birth and baby's change, when my mum had me a 'lying in' period was still common where you had to have bed rest after having a baby, she had to stay in bed for ten days - something we know now is terrible for new mums. I had an episiotomy after I'd had a small tear but it's not done as a matter of course.