Explore the connection between hysterectomy and intimacy, including how different types of hysterectomies may impact sexual activity and pain based on recent research.
A Dutch study published in the British Medical Journal suggests that a hysterectomy increases the chances of sexual abstinence and reduces the number of sexual partners for women who have undergone this surgery.
Hysterectomy
A hysterectomy is a surgical procedure in which the uterus is removed through the abdomen or vagina. When the surgery is performed through the abdomen, a hysterectomy can be partial or complete. A complete hysterectomy involves removing the uterus and cervix, while a partial hysterectomy involves removing the uterus only.
Research on Hysterectomy and Sexual Life
The research included 413 women with an average age of 43 years, who underwent a hysterectomy via the vagina, or a complete or partial hysterectomy of the uterus via the abdomen. The women sought advice before and after the surgery.
Among 310 women who had sexual activity before and after the surgery, 89 (29%) who underwent a hysterectomy via the vagina, 76 (25%) who underwent a partial hysterectomy of the uterus via the abdomen, and 145 (47%) who underwent a complete hysterectomy of the uterus via the abdomen.
Research Results
All women reported a general increase in sexual abstinence after undergoing a hysterectomy of any kind. However, the type of surgery did not affect the rate of improvement in sexual activity.
After six months of the surgery, 59% of the women who underwent a hysterectomy via the vagina reported an improvement in their sexual pain after the surgery, 54% after a partial hysterectomy of the uterus via the abdomen reported an improvement in their sexual pain after the surgery, and 56% reported an improvement in their sexual pain after a complete hysterectomy of the uterus.
hysterectomy, sexual health, women’s health, surgery, sexual activity, uterus, cervix, vaginal hysterectomy, abdominal hysterectomy
