Psycho-social problems of women who had undergone hysterectomy

After the hysterectomy, the doctor decided not to put Nirmala on hormone therapysince she had a medical condition that could grow worse under HRT. Nirmala’saunt who was a gynaecologist also advised her against taking HRT.In the post-hysterectomy phase, Nirmala put on a lot of weight and this resulted injoint pains and difficulty in doing household work. She also had hot flushes, whichshe found unbearable. She became very irritable, short tempered and withdrawn.She was quick to lose her temper with her husband and children. Her sons foundher behaviour puzzling but her father told them that it was all part of her recoveryfrom the hysterectomy. Her job performance was not affected since her job was ofclerical nature that did not warrant much interaction with other people.With the passing of time, Nirmala’s problems lessened in intensity. She broughtdown her weight by eating a sensible diet and regular exercise. The hot flushesbecame less frequent and less intense as time elapsed. Although some of theirritability and mood swings persisted it was no longer uncontrollable nor werethey problematic.Nirmala’s husband was very supportive through all these stages. When Nirmalawas suspected of the likelihood of getting cancer, he insisted on her undergoingthe hysterectomy at the earliest. He stood by her while she was going through thebehavioural changes that were induced by the hysterectomy. He reassured her thathe felt no difference during sexual intercourse after she had undergone thehysterectomy. Nirmala suffered from dryness of the vagina after the operation thatmade sexual intercourse painful. She consulted a gynaecologist who prescribed agel for her and once she started using the gel, the dryness disappeared. The coupledescribed their post-hysterectomy sex life as happy and normal.Nirmala said that she had no problem accepting the hysterectomy. She wassuffering from severe bleeding and pain for more than a year and hence wanted toput an end to it. She knew that the hysterectomy was inevitable and was mentallyprepared for it. She reported feeling no sense of loss at the removal of her uterus.