What Hormones Do You Need After A Hysterectomy?

I have recently had a number of questions about whether we need hormones after a hysterectomy and generally because women are being offered HRT or something similar.

I asked a long-time colleague and bioidentical hormone expert, Dame Dr Shirley Bond, for her comments as she is one of the UK’s authorities specialising in women’s hormonal health and is the medical advisor to the Natural Menopause Advisory Service.

She has been prescribing, and using, bioidentical hormones herself, for many years and worked with the late Dr John Lee and myself on his lectures in London.

What’s the reason for it?

Many women have a hysterectomy due to issues like endometriosis, fibroids, and a womb with pre-cancerous cells, which are problems connected to too much oestrogen.

It has always seemed odd to me that many doctors and gynaecologists claim only oestrogen is needed after such a surgery.

They also say that progesterone is not needed for a woman who no longer has a womb, but doctors who use bioidentical hormones do not agree.

Oestrogen used alone, which is what is usually given after a hysterectomy, is connected to several health worries including hormonal cancers, heart problems, and strokes.

Dr John Lee was responsible for introducing bioidentical progesterone in cream form for his patients and saw many benefits. He was an American general practitioner and  came for several years to talk to the BMA (British Medical Association) and to give information to women about the dangers of too much oestrogen and hormone imbalance.

Like Dr Bond I was privileged to accompany him and host his talks and she followed his practices and said the following:

Oestrogen should always be balanced in the body with progesterone to prevent the unwanted effects of oestrogen such as weight gain, fluid retention, depression and many others including breast cancer.

Doctors often tell patients they only need oestrogen after a hysterectomy. This is because they are confusing progesterone and synthetic progestins or progestogens. In traditional HRT oestrogen is given with these man-made forms of progesterone.

The only job of the progestins or progestogens is to protect the lining of the uterus so of course you don’t need it after a hysterectomy and they act like the natural hormone but do have their own side effects.

Progesterone on the other hand, while protecting the uterus, also protects the breast and balances other unwanted effects that oestrogen on its own will produce.

Why have bioidentical hormones after a hysterectomy?

Deciding whether to use HRT is a personal choice, but as Dr Bond has said, using only oestrogen without progesterone has significant issues.

After a hysterectomy, many women still make oestrogen in the fat cells of their stomach, abdomen and thighs. This causes the weight gain and bloating that often happens.

Therefore, starting HRT with only oestrogen greatly adds to the amount of oestrogen you will have. Few doctors understand natural hormones, including progesterone or the Wellsprings creams with natural progesterone and oestrogen.

Progesterone is crucial to balance extra oestrogen because high oestrogen levels need to be treated as they raise the chances of breast and endometrial cancer, heart problems, and strokes.

What is often not remembered is that progesterone is also vital for building bone, and this happens throughout life.

Old bone is removed by oestrogen, and progesterone is what provides the new bone that fills the space. For this to happen, good levels of progesterone are needed.

This is why many women with weak bones, or risk for osteoporosis, keep taking it during and after menopause.

What do you do next?

After a hysterectomy whether you need progesterone, or progesterone and oestrogen, will be decided by your symptoms and their severity.

Some women need only progesterone from Serenity – Wellsprings progesterone only cream – especially if they have put on weight around the middle as they will then still be producing oestrogen from the fat cells there.

Others do benefit from a combined cream like Wellsprings Twenty to One  which has progesterone and a small amount of oestrogen for more severe symptoms – or if they are low in oestrogen and showing signs such as vaginal dryness.

This article might also be helpful if you are not sure whether you are low in progesterone or oestrogen, or both.

https://blog.wellsprings-health.com/which-hormone-or-hormones-might-you-need/