Georgia P., Massachusetts, USA: I had a TAH/BSO for my endometrial cancer, which means, in laymen's terms, that I had my cervix, uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes removed. These initials stand for Total Abdominal Hysterectomy/Bilateral Salpingo-Oophorectomy. Removing the ovaries and fallopian tubes during a total hysterectomy is considered a TAH/BSO.

Typically the uterus is not an organ that is at an increased risk for developing cancer in the presence of a BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 mutation. However, a patient may have some gynecological issues that may require her uterus to be removed. Removal of the uterus is strictly a gynecological issue, and the patient should discuss the risks, benefits, and limitations of this surgery with her gynecologist.

For some women, pelvic pain, low back pain, or pain with intercourse that they had before surgery persists or returns after surgery.14 The success rate is lower for women who have had prior pelvic surgery or radiation therapy to the pelvis. Pelvic weakness. After a hysterectomy, some women develop other physical problems that are related to weakness of the pelvic muscles and ligaments that support the vagina, bladder, and rectum.

Many women experience some temporary pain during intercourse the first few times after a major operation. Others find permanent changes. Obviously, you will not have uterine contractions with orgasms after a hysterectomy. You will have no cervix, so if you are among the women whose pleasure involves pressure against the cervix, the hysterectomy will affect your sexual response.

There are several reasons why physicians recommend hysterectomies. In some cases, the operation is performed to prevent life threatening illness; in other instances, it is done to relieve bleeding or chronic pain. You may ask whether there are any procedures short of surgery to handle a particular problem. Fortunately, in a great many cases there are; surgery is not your doctor's first and only solution to a female reproductive disorder.

Sex Therapy can successfully treat a wide variety of problems that interfere with health, fulfilling sexual activity. Some examples of the sexual difficulties that can be treated effectively with sex therapy are: In addition, relationship and intimacy problems may affect sexual functioning, can also be successfully treated by a sex therapist. ISD refers to the lack of sexual appetite or response, together with a low rate of sexual activity.

Typically people experiencing concerns about arousal, performance, or satisfaction are likely to benefit from Sex Therapy. Among these problems are decreased or increased desire for intimacy, or in the case of a couple, mismatched or discrepant desire or interest in sexual intimacy. Both men and women can experience concerns about arousal and there are many causes and options for solving these problems.

Hysterectomy is the second most commonly performed surgery in the United States. Approximately 600,000 hysterectomies are performed annually, with the ovaries removed in about half of these cases. A total or complete hysterectomy is a surgical procedure in which the uterus and cervix are removed. The term oophorectomy (or ovariectomy) refers to the removal of the ovaries, either one (unilateral) or both (bilateral). The fallopian tubes also may be removed in a procedure called salpingectomy.

Depending upon your symptoms, there are several different alternatives to hysterectomy. Majority of hysterectomies are performed either due to abnormal bleeding or fibroids. If you have irregular bleeding and your uterus is not too big, endometrial ablation (destruction of the endometrial lining) can be viable option to hysterectomy (look up section under hysteroscopy). If you have fibroids, a myomectomy (removal of fibroids) may be viable treatment for you.

The best way to describe a hysterectomy is "instant menopause". What is not really understood by most doctors is that the body continues to produce about 40% of the estrogen it had been producing before menopause or hysterectomy, even through the ovaries have been removed. However, progesterone levels decrease more severely. The symptoms usually attributed to low estrogen are really due to low progesterone and/or a low progesterone.