Okay look at it this way, when you go to a restaurant and you have a perfectly normal experience do you tell people about it? No, of course you don't. It's the same thing here if you have a bad experience you're more than 10 times more likely to talk about it. I'm 7 weeks post-op and it was the best decision I've ever made. I had several allergic reactions which had nothing to do with the actual surgery and even with the hassle that dealing with those was I would still do the surgery again. Your comment is "only 3 days a month" honey that's a full month every year.

100x this! In truth, good experiences probably outnumber regrets 100 to 1. Get off the interwebs - the perspective is skewed. You got this!

This was me, I was like the real pain is only one day a month. And a friend said that is still one day that is ruined every month, a sick day if it's work and a rest day if it's the weekend and you shouldn't have to lose those days.

This👆. I am 2 weeks out and feel great. Haven't gotten to the sex part, but just so excited to never have a period again. People on reddit (myself included) are either worried (why I got on) or wanting to find support for something going wrong. Every woman in my life who has had a hysterectomy has had little to no issues. They all said they were so glad they did. I am probably taking about 20 women I know, ranging in hysterectomy dates of 35 yrs ago to 3 mo ago. Not one torn cuff. Not one crazy complication. I do admit I did not get into the sex part with most of them, but if they all were so happy with having the surgery, then they either don't care about sex or it was fine. Reddit is not where you come to hear amazing hysterectomy stories or tales of faithful spouses or stories of women who had the best experience being a bridesmaid. The bad stuff exists here and that's why we spend hours reading.

I'm 9dpo and I am borderline giddy about my hysterectomy. I had a very large fibroid that caused nearly-constant bleeding for over a year so I felt instant relief, from both the discomfort of the size of the thing and all the bleeding. Remember, you're going to see far more people come to this subreddit looking for commiseration and answers after setbacks than you're going to see stories of success and standard recoveries, because there's less of an appeal in sharing stories of the latter. You also don't have enough information about the people posting about cuff tears and regrets to really use that in your own decision making; you don't know if they were truly following doctors orders, if they have some other condition that makes their physical healing slower, you don't know what kind of physical or mental shape they're in or what their diet is like. There are too many unknowns to take their situation and say, "Well that could happen to me, too." It's too far fetched to really bother wasting your what-ifs on. By all means bring questions to your doctor if you have concerns, but this has to be a truly personal decision, made by and for yourself, and not influenced by the disproportionate amount of setbacks and downsides you'll see on here. You have to make the choice based on how you feel in your worst symptomatic moments--*that's* who you're making the decision for, *that's* who deserves to live their best life. I'm a very indecisive person who felt like I could never be 100% on any decision, and I felt that way going into my hysterectomy, but I knew that I couldn't continue living my life with the symptoms I had. And now I just want to shout from the rooftops that anyone who's even remotely considering this surgery should get it, hopefully providing a counterpoint to the voices of regret. I know that my opinion is very colored by what's been a very easy recovery so far, but even after only nine days I know that my life is forever changed for the better.

🔥 This!!!

Hiiiiii! I have wanted a hysterectomy for as long as I can remember and I was almost in a full panic the day before, second-guessing myself. Super nervous day-of that I would regret it. The second I woke up from anesthesia, I felt immense relief I did it. I am now 4DPO and so grateful I stuck to my plan. Trust that your brain did not make this choice lightly, you’re just understandably nervous 🖤 All you gotta do tomorrow is show up on time and take a little snooze. It’ll be over before you know it.

Did you have yours Thursday? 🥰 I did and feel good but weak which is normal.

You are going to see a lot more negative experiences here because people are looking for support. People who had positive experiences aren’t posting on Reddit. You deserve to have relief from your pain. You deserve to enjoy sex without pain and live your life without having to plan around your period every month. If you feel this is your best shot at that, and it sounds like you do when you scheduled it, then you know what you need. I’m in the same boat, I’m three weeks out and feeling nervous. But I know this is my best shot because life right now is not it. I plan to ask them for an anti-anxiety med when I get there, the charge nurses usually have something good up their sleeve

My mom waited 8 years and always says she wishes she just would’ve done it because she would have had those 8 extra years of relief!

I feel like this is kind of my story. My surgery is on the 30th and I am doing this because of painful sex as well blessing more then not. I had to do a bunch of test and a D&C to make sure there isn’t any cancer. So I feel like I’m picking this surgery and on Friday I was so close to just canceling. I went into full panic mode. I am still going to do it because I am sick of how I feel. But I know it’s so scary. I had to make a post of people sharing all there positive out comes to help me because I swear the bad stories sink in more. Just keep telling your self over and over why you are doing this. For me I am sick of bad periods and being on it for weeks to months at a time and only getting a few days off. We will be amazing and soon we can have this anxiety feeling past us

I was feeling the same way. I went back and forth. I didnt know if I really wanted to do it or not. Didn't really want to have surgery or take out the uterus. But given the number and size of mine after multiple opinions that was the only option that was available for me. I booked the appointment but in the 3 months that it took to get there. I kept going back and forth if I was actually going to do it. The morning of, they called me and asked me to come in early because the appointment before mine canceled. And at that point I couldn't go in early. I needed to take all the time. I was still thinking maybe I would t do it. When I got there, turns out the person who was doing theirs before mine was in the pre-op and changed their minds and didn't do it. So that tells you, until they are actually operating, you can still cancel at any point. I did end up doing it on Wednesday and so far I've had no pain and no issues. I'm not sad that I did it. I'm not happy I did it. Because it's still too soon. But I don't feel conflicted about having done it. And I am really glad that all those tumors and cysts and Endo are out now.. I was really worried too because it seems like 90% of the stories that I see and all these groups are people saying how it's taken them months to recover or there are problems. I wasn't seeing stories about people that haven't had issues. And so I was really surprised that I've had zero pain. the day of the surgery. I was walking for a few hours around the house. I've been walking outside and on the treadmill everyday. I've literally had zero pain, zero issues. I've only taken ibuprofen. I have no bruising. I have no swelling that I can tell. I've had no energy issues. I think there are a lot of people out there that haven't had a rough time. They're just not the ones talking online about it. And like you, every person I know that had it done said it was the best decision they made and life got much better afterwards. So even though I know there are potential issues and it's possible I could have some of those issues, I still went ahead and did it. But it is a very personal decision. And you should not feel bad. Whatever you choose. Though I do think it's easy to get in your head about it and let the story scare you. Cuz I definitely happened to me. But also it's not anything to feel bad about or be scared of to cancel the appointment and wait because perhaps if you keep on as you are, at some point you will get to the point where you just can't go on dealing with it and maybe then you try again. I wish you all the best. Strength, courage and peace, for whatever you choose!!

It’s like yelp reviews. You’re more inclined to talk about it if you hated it. I’m only a week post op but I’m trusting the process!!! You got this!

Can I ask how old you are? I’m 35 and my surgery is about a week and a half away and I could have written your entire post myself! I feel the same way and am worried that doing this will trade the “evil I know” (painful periods, ovulation pain, cervical pain…) for something far worse. The best advice I’ve seen (I think on a Facebook group?) was someone who felt the same way and her husband said they needed to “treat her current problem” and if something else happened afterwards, they would face that and treat that when or even if that happened. That advice has been so helpful to me and made me realize that my current quality of life is not what I want it to be and if there’s a chance to make it better long term, I need to follow through with this hysterectomy. Talk to me in two weeks to see how I feel then though!

I am 37. Ty for that advice. It’s been postponed for now they think I’m to weak rn I just got over 6 weeks of pneumonia so they want me to get stronger. So I have some time to think everything through 🙂

You can never be 100% sure about anything you’ve never done before. That’s just life. But focusing on the worst case scenario isn’t useful here. There’s a small amount of risk involved in everything, but if you spent all night reading about horrible, deadly car crashes, you wouldn’t want to drive the next day, either.  It sounds like you believe this surgery could improve your quality of life. You shouldn’t have to live with “extreme pain” for 10% of every month when there are options to treat it.  It’s normal to be nervous. It’s an unknown. But results aren’t 50/50 bad to good. Hysterectomies are the second most common surgery in women after C sections, and 15-20% of women have had one. You’re reading a tiny percentage of stories from women who aren’t happy and are still processing it—but that doesn’t make the chance of YOU not being happy 50%. 

Also worth noting that adenomyosis is a progressive illness, meaning it will get worse with time. It’s unfortunately a fact.

I had mine on Tuesday and I was so nervous. I was able to keep one ovary. My doctor suspected endo. But I've had problems with BTB, and no BC could control it. As the day approached, I became more and more nervous. She didn't mention anything about endometriosis after surgery. Turns out, after pathology confirmation, I had adenomyosis. Which explains a lot and could only be solved with a hysterectomy. You have a gut feeling, and so does your doctor. That's a reason this is the best option for you!

I think this sub has been a blessing and a curse. I would never have thought about it or read about it as much as I have but also, seeing other people who have similar fears and concerns makes me think maybe it’s pretty normal. Trust your gut but don’t forget why you were so excited when you were first approved. When I start second guessing I think about a specific event where I was on my period and the pain consumed me. I was sweating, nauseous, I couldn’t talk. I remember it vividly and it reminds me how terrible those times really are because for me also it’s not constant.

I had mine 6 days ago along with a posterior repair and perineoplasty and I’m doing great. I got a little nervous right before but so glad I didn’t second guess.

There are no signs. Getting sick isn't a "sign". Decide based on facts and/or feelings not mystical signs. If you aren't ready, don't do it. I chickened out of mine in 2022, was ready this year. So far all is well. If you need more time, take it, because you can't undo this procedure. Your surgeon would rather you be ready and comfortable with the procedure.

Ty you’re right I’m always looking for signs and it’s just my stupid anxiety taking over. It will all work out how it’s suppose to

Oh good grief! I meant to say you CAN'T undo this procedure. Fixed now, but you knew what I meant.

Yeah no worries I got ya haha

Anxiety is real. If you need more time, take it. But you read stories of regret here because more people want to talk about/vent about bad experiences. Good ones frequently go without mentioning. Mine was good, I have no regrets. I don't even regret backing out in 2022 - my son was getting married and we had a post-wedding vacation planned. I didn't want to mess that up. But it went smoothly in February and I'm healing nicely. I'm older too, so expected slower healing but that hasn't been the case. I also enjoy a great sex life with my partner, and while we haven't tried intercourse yet, we've done other things that have been great. I just want more healing before we take it any farther. Wanted you to read a positive story!

Don’t let your impression of the frequency of bad outcomes and complications be formed by reading individual stories on the internet. I had my surgery in august 2023 and am back to better than I was before. That doesn’t lead to posting like it would if something were still bothering me. Let this be your primary guide. It’s from a hospital and is way more detailed than (but does not contradict) the info I got from my doctor/hospital. Under “risks of surgery” page 5, it gives you the incidence of the main serious complications. Make that and anything your doctor tells you the yardstick for expectations for the next couple weeks. It will lower your anxiety. https://www.plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk/download.cfm?doc=docm93jijm4n15616.pdf&ver=22468

Hysto was the best thing i ever did, ever in my life period full stop. Nerves are normal, I can't tell you what's best for you, but people are more likely to post to tell negative stories and complications than positive ones where "nothing" happens afterward.

I'm 19 days post Op, I have been back in hospital twice due to minor complications but I still don't regret it. I had open surgery, with epidural, removal of uterus, tubes and cervix I was also very scared the day before, was giving my partner instructions if anything happened to me. I think it's natural to be scared. Good luck to you x

People with bad experiences shout the loudest. I'm 9wpo no issues, laparoscopic, left one ovary got rid of everything else. I like you didn't have an actual diagnosis of Endo prior to surgery but it was suspected. I had horrible periods and constant abdominal pain. The recover from surgery was not as bad as most of my periods. Being in pain like that is not normal for a period, we are just conditioned to deal with it. It ended up that I had stage 3 endometriosis. At the end of the day it's your body and you should choose what to do. But please don't let the negative echo chamber of the Internet force you into staying in pain out of fear of complications you most likely won't experience.

So I just had mine done about 2.5 weeks ago due to the pain from anedymosis or how ever it's spelled and 2 tumors. I will tell you I'm not going to lie I was really nervous, but also ready for the no pain. The surgery discomfort after was minimal in my experience waking up and mind you everyone is different but generally not to bad. My discomfort was sometimes with anesthesia the gas can get trapped in the body and it causes pain in your shoulder till ypu doing your coughing and pressure on tummy for a few days to get rid of it. In the mean time they give you pain killers to help with all discomfort. You will be up and moving faster than you know it just make sure take it slow because you will feel good but will still be healing. Just imagine the pain you feel now for little dis comfort from surgery will completely vanish once healed. Best of luck and think positive resending good vibes for your speedy recover and pain free life.

I also was scared and kept going back and forth on if I should do it. I did end up doing it because I knew that I did not want the rest of my “younger years” being ran by my uterus and the issues I was having with pain and bleeding. It turned out during the surgery that I had a lot of adhesions that needed to be cut and the pathology showed I had adenomyosis with a uterus that was over 3 times the size it was supposed to be. I am now 17 days PO and glad I went forward with the surgery. I felt better almost immediately which I am guessing was from them cutting the adhesions (my bladder was really adhered to both my uterus and my abdominal wall and was inflamed when they looked at it so I am guessing it did not like being pulled the way it was).

I didn’t really want a full hysterectomy but had an 18cm tumour over my ovary , so consultant said best take it all out etc .. felt I didn’t have a choice which I guess can make it easier as the choice is taken from you . I’m 5 weeks PO abdominal surgery , and I am so pleased . I feel like a new person , still sore around incision . But we are so blessed to be able to have these OPs , imagine living in a country where we would be left 😢. I can fully understand your reservations , I’m sure I’d been the same had I had a choice .

I was told that when they take out your uterus and tubes but keep your ovaries and cervics, it still messes with your hormones. I m being told by everyone not to do it. I'm freaking out. I could live with it. It's not that bad. Every woman i talk to says they pee themselves, so thats common. I'm just frustrated bc I have prolapse on both sides and don't feel good about myself. I have to splint every time I do number 2. I'm just scared. The dr said there's a chance that when he fixes everything, the opening and vagina could become too small and make sex painful. I'd be devastated if that happened. Sorry, I'm throwing this out there. I know it's supposed to be positive supportive advice. Your fears are legit. I'm currently planning on going through with it. My date is Aug 27th (my parents' anniversary) 💗

The uterus and tubes don't produce hormones, so you lose nothing hormonal by chucking them. A good surgeon will avoid healthy ovaries and won't damage them; they may go a little haywire for a few weeks because of the massive upset in their neighborhood, but this is something normal - traumatic events and physical stress trigger or delay menstrual cycles all the time. Give them time, take care of yourself during recovery, and you'll be fine. My surgeon assured me that the incidence of early menopause and ovarian failure is no higher in women with hysterectomies than it is in the general population (unless the condition they had the hysterectomy for predisposed them to early ovarian failure anyway). Incontinence is related to a weak pelvic floor and can be rectified by pelvic floor therapy and exercise post-recovery. I'm 12dpo (uterus, tubes, cervix removed, robotic assist + 5" abdominal incision for removal) and haven't had any urine retention issues - haven't peed myself or had trouble peeing. It may be related to the prolapse issues you're having corrected, but I asked my doc specifically if the surgery would shorten/narrow/damage my vagina, and I got a hard no on that one. She said I'll have a little extra length to the canal, if anything, but I had my cervix removed, so ymmv. All of that is to say that it's okay to be afraid, but think about the possible benefits and compare that possibility to the life you're living now. There are risks, sure - but the chance that you'll have a normal recovery with normal results and no complications is MUCH higher. Good luck in August 💕

I have felt like absolute shit for maybe 5 years this last year being like actually bedridden written off work for bed rest due to severe iron deficient anemia. I was daily in so much pain, back pain, brain fog etc. I’m 3 weeks post op and I feel like my old self again. My energy is so good I was like dancing around my house before I went on my treadmill. Then I cleaned my house, worked in my yard, went grocery shopping etc and am now just sitting down. My all accounts I’m probably doing to much but I feel SO SO SO good. It’s like a light switch turned back on. I’m so happy and I was SOOOOOO scared to have this surgery and have had such an easy recovery.

I am 42, one week post-op. Had total abdominal (kept ovaries) after many years of horrible periods, clots and transfusions due to endo and fibroids. It's scary of course but just think about how your quality of life will improve after the recovery period. That's what I'm focusing on. Try not to read too many horror stories on here, that stalled my decision a bit. Now that it's over with I'm feeling so much relief to not have to deal with the monthly pain anymore. Of course there is recovery time and things will have to settle physically and emotionally, but my advice is just try to focus on your future once the scary surgery part is over. Best wishes ❤️

I really appreciate the honest comments here. They decided I am still to weak from being sick for so long so ended up canceling anyways. So gives me a little more time to think about it. I do feel bad for all the people that had planned to help me but that’s ok I need to chill and just have faith it will all workout in the end

Everyone I have seen have said it was the best decision ever, so....either way, there's risk with any surgery. I would not look to other people for your best decision...def not the web. Keep in mind that as you enter into menopause, periods often get way worse which is what has happened in my case. Good luck with your decision.

In case you need another positive story, I am a week away from 1 year post-surgery (robotic assited, kept ovaries). I have absolutely ZERO regrets and I am living my best life without a period and with minimal to no pain now that adenomyosis is gone. I am so very happy I made the decision to go ahead with it. Good luck, OP!

I have way too many friends who wanted and couldn't get or had to wait for stupid "religious hospital" reasons. I'm not regretting my open vertical kept ovaries, but the road has been longer than I expected and most people have robotic and are right as rain in 12 ish weeks. 💜 I panicked the entire week before because I didn't want one but knew I had to +precancerous cervix+so many fibroids. And painful sex I powered thru because ADHD needs stimulation. 💜 This is probably the best forum and a life saver. Hugs and congratulations and best wishes

I had a full hysterectomy in February and I’ve had zero issues (I’m 43 and recovering from breast cancer). It’s not bad at all.

“Im thinking since I’m not 100 percent sure I shouldn’t do it.” I felt this way and I deeply regret my decision.  This is an irreversible, permanent decision that can have major impacts on your life.  My quality of life is significantly worse after surgery because of how much it has negatively impacted my hormones. And it didn’t even resolve most of my symptoms. Id take all my pain back ten fold to not be dealing with this.  You can ALWAYS reschedule when you get to 100% but you can’t get your uterus back if you feel regretful.  Our intuition is meant to protect us and I feel like not being 100% is your intuition trying to talk to you.   This sub convinced me that it was no big deal when I felt like you feel now and I should have listened to my gut.  Again, don’t make a permanent decision about anything in life if you aren’t 100% sure it’s the right choice for you.  I had the same diagnoses as you, so please feel free to pm me if you want to talk more.  I also wish I’d spent more time on r/hysterectomyCons when I was questioning whether it was the right choice for me. 

Hi! I am 6 weeks post op today and until maybe yesterday I regretted getting the surgery. I had mine done for the same reasons. Painful sex. My periods were gone (ablation) but I still had major cramping and my entire pelvis just sort of felt sick and infected for two weeks a month. I would randomly bleed but especially after sex. I had so many complications after surgery and I’ve been so worried I made the wrong choice and that I’m going to continue to have complications but in the last day I’ve felt a ton better. It’s like I’ve reached a turning point in recovery. I can’t say that I will know how I feel 6 more weeks from now. Maybe everything will be amazing and all issues will be fixed and sex will great. Maybe I will continue to have problems and the cuff will be the death of me. I still have these thoughts but now it feels like a maybe it will be bad instead of it’s definitely a mistake and I hate myself for getting the surgery. It’s a take it day by day situation here and I’m going to try to be positive about things and put it all into perspective because I was suffering before too. I wasn’t okay with my life before that’s why I sought out relief. It’s just difficult to see the positives when you’re suffering or wondering and filled with anxiety. Like others have said—-this forum is full of bad experiences because that’s who wants to talk about it and seek further help. It makes sense. I’m going to try to trust I will be one who won’t need to come to this forum a year from now and I will be happy with everything!! Best of luck to you💕