Menopausal symptoms can occur immediately after an operation.
- Ovarian cancer surgery may result in sudden, early menopause.
- Going through surgical menopause is a different experience than naturally occurring menopause.
- There are ways to alleviate the symptoms.
"Surgical menopause is very sudden," says Dr. Daynelle Dedmond, gynecologic oncologist with Centura Health. "I explain to patients that they’re going to experience changes immediately; within the first 24 to 48 hours [after surgery] they'll start having symptoms, particularly hot flashes."
Read More Some of the other changes can affect intimacy. “For instance, the decrease in lubrication of the vagina when a woman is aroused, as well as a thinning of the tissue on both the inside and outside of the vagina," Dedmond says. This may come as a surprise to many patients, especially those who have not had sexual intercourse for six or so weeks after surgery (and who maybe didn't feel like sex during their treatment). "It's something that they may have not expected, and can make them very uncomfortable." For vaginal dryness doctors usually recommend lubricants to help make intercourse more comfortable. "There are certain instances where physicians can prescribe medications that may actually improve the vaginal dryness, or some other things that may be able to be prescribed, but it very specifically depends on what type of ovarian cancer a patient had, what their outcome was, and their risk of recurrence in the future,” explains Dr. Dedmond. “Most of the time, we suggest lubricants for dryness and also to help with elasticity of the vagina for more comfort during intercourse. We also want patients to be very deliberate and careful and have good communication with their partner, including about allowing plenty of time to be able to relax.” If patients have gone for a long time without intercourse and menopause occurs during that period of time, in addition to lubricants doctors can prescribe a vaginal dilator, a tube-shaped device that's used to stretch the vagina. Vaginal dilators can be used to help ease intercourse and also to make office pelvic exams more comfortable.
Patients should never feel ashamed or embarrassed to discuss changes in libido or other changes caused by sudden, surgical menopause with their physicians.
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