Infection is the most common complication after a hysterectomy, and one of the main things people worry about once they are home. Most infections are mild, show up in the first two weeks, and clear with antibiotics. A few need a drain or a stay in hospital, and very rarely an infection becomes serious. The…
Many people are surprised to see discharge after a hysterectomy. If the uterus is gone, where is it coming from, and how do you know whether it is part of healing or a sign of infection? The short answer is that some discharge is expected for several weeks while the top of the vagina heals,…
Feeling cramps that remind you of period pain months or even years after a hysterectomy can be confusing and worrying. Without a uterus there is no womb lining to shed and no uterine muscle to contract, so true menstrual cramps cannot happen. But the pelvis still holds your bowel, bladder, pelvic floor muscles and, for…
Bladder changes are common in the first days and weeks after a hysterectomy. You may have trouble peeing once the catheter comes out, need to go more often, or pick up a urinary tract infection (UTI). Most of these problems are short-lived and easy to treat.[1][2][3] Serious bladder injuries are rare.[7][8] In the longer term,…
Some vaginal bleeding and discharge is normal for a few weeks after a hysterectomy. It comes from the place where the top of the vagina was stitched closed, and it should get lighter and browner as that wound heals.[1][2] Bleeding that is heavy, smells bad, comes with fever or sudden pain, or starts months later…
Being told you have an ovarian cyst after a hysterectomy can be confusing, and a little alarming. If your uterus is gone, how can something still be growing there? The short answer: if your ovaries were kept, they are still working, and working ovaries can form cysts. Most of these cysts are harmless. This guide…
Back pain is a common complaint in the weeks after a hysterectomy, and most of the time it’s part of normal recovery: the way you lay on the operating table, the way you hold your body to protect the incision, and the days of moving less than usual. It usually improves steadily as you heal….
A hysterectomy does not, by itself, cause yeast infections. The vagina keeps its normal mix of bacteria and yeast after the uterus is removed, and Candida, the yeast behind most infections, lives there harmlessly in many women both before and after surgery. What can change is the setting around it: the antibiotics given for the…
Some pain in the first weeks after a hysterectomy is expected. But pain that seems to come from one side of the pelvis, that keeps coming back in a monthly pattern, or that appears months or years later is a different story, and it’s understandably worrying. If your ovaries were kept, they are still working,…
A hysterectomy does not make you gain weight or lose weight by itself. The uterus has no role in metabolism, and removing it does not change how your body burns calories. What research does show is a modest tendency to gain weight in the years after surgery, a larger effect when both ovaries are removed…
Pelvic organ prolapse means that one or more organs in the pelvis has dropped from its usual position and pushes into the vagina. It can happen after a hysterectomy, and many women only hear about it once they notice a bulge or a heavy, dragging feeling. The good news: serious prolapse after hysterectomy is not…