Facebook Pixel
EmpowHER Guest
Q: 

I had a complete hysterectomy 6 years ago and I am now 44. I battle belly fat even after loosing 25 lbs. I've been told it is because I don't have hormones any more and I have never been on HRT since my hysterectomy. Would a natural HRT help me?

By Anonymous January 13, 2009 - 8:48pm
 
Rate This

I've been told without hormones, I will continue to store fat in my abdominal region, and there is nothing I can do. I recently lost 25 lbs. and still suffer from embarassment because of my dimpled belly fat. I vowed I would wear a bikini as soon as I lost weight, and fact is, I am repulsed at the sight of my own abdomen. I work out 5 days a week with no changes. Would natural HRT help me? I am not interested in pill popping, but hope maybe there is a natural alternative for me out there.

Add a Comment83 Comments

(reply to LizziesAxe)

I feel exactly like you! Been depressed-never warned about the after effects-I had a radical hysterectomy in 2011 and am just getting
bigger and bigger and more depressed used to be small-now my stomach looks like I'm 8 months pregnant

May 26, 2015 - 6:51am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Anonymous)

I am a breast cancer survivor. It was caught early and I had surgery and received treatment immediately. I do not believe I will have more breast cancer in my future. I have this notion probably for two reasons; it's good to think positive and a doctor told me I had clear margins. I had two children after breast cancer and now they are telling me that even though I tested negative for the BRCA genes, they still suggest I have a hysterectomy of sorts. I say 'of sorts' because in their opinion, I have options - all of which will catapult me into menopause.

One option is to do nothing, which to me, isn't an option at all. I have fibroids and they are causing me so much pain that some days I am literally doubled over. My stomach is swollen from bloating and the pain is something no-one should have to live with.

My second option is to change my medication from Tamoxifen to an aromatase inhibitor which will shut down my ovaries immediately and cause me to acquire arthritis.

Third, I could just have my ovaries removed and that will lessen the estrogen in my body. The surgery is called an oophorectomy.

And finally, fourth, have almost everything removed. That surgery is called salpingo-oophorectomy and is robot assisted by DaVinci.

I have wondered about the state of my middle section after a surgery such as this. With two cesareans behind me, my stomach isn’t perfect but I definitely don’t want it to be worse. Or become worse over time. I do not understand why the options before me are not in any way great options for someone with a little pride in how she looks.

There is downtime with all of these options, scarring, and surprises since they do not know what they are truly looking at until surgery time and you are already on the table. This scares me. I have to do something but the question is what. (?)

I do not want my stomach muscles cut into. I want minimal scarring if any. And I want to look decent in my middle age life. Is that too much to ask for?

March 31, 2015 - 9:04am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Anonymous)

I did DaVinci for a total, radical hysterectomy - they took ovaries, everything, all the way down to lymph nodes in the groin area & the upper half of my omentum (left the lower part in . . .ugh!). If I had it to do over, I'd do a full belly cut. the robot arms went into me above the belly button and travelled under the skin down into my groin. All of my fat was moved around & downward. Changed the size & shape of my thighs, etc. I am a mess. So, now I just had laser lipo on lower abdomen to see if it will get rid of the "pouch" they left me with. If it heals well, I'll go back & do the upper thighs (which are different sizes too). All of this will be out of pocket. It's awful. Talk to a lot of people before you decide what to do. . . .

July 12, 2015 - 3:32pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Anonymous)

OMG, I had the same procedure done in Sept 2011 and my weight has increased 45 pounds. Don't let them kid you...that so called Robotic surgery is still major surgery and invasive. When I came out I was in extreme pain, NOT because of the surgery per se but because of the way they positioned me on the table. I think it's called the Trundleberg position - essentially with this surgery they put the table at a 20 degree angle so your head is down and feet are up. Well, they pinched a nerve in my neck and a surgery that should have only been 2 1/2 hours ended up being 5 plus recovery time where I did not come out of the anesthetic like I normally should have. It took my neck 2 weeks to 'unpinch' and I'll leave out all the other details but it was a freaking nightmare that has now done permanent damage and causes numbness and tingling in my hands and fingers which keeps me up all night. Back to what my stomach looks like...HELL! It's as if they stretched the inside organs and muscles and fibers and skin and now it sits on my lap, covering over part of my pubic area when I sit and floats just above that when I stand. It droops down into 2 rolls that go all the way across. Also there is a "puffy" area just above my bellybutton along with one of the scars that puckers into it. I can't stand to look at myself - It's like looking at someone elses body or something which resembles an extensively misshapen Pillsbury dough woman. I was a little overweight to begin with but always had a flat abdomen with the exception of a small pooch from being pregnant (with a boy) some years earlier. I also had an easier time losing weight than I do now and feel like I have zero energy to even work out. Talk about aging...I am so tired from working out (I have a total gym and walk and swim and do yard work) and LOSE NOTHING! Also, my doctors don't like prescribing HRT...so I don't know what to do but was thinking about laser LIPO or...but think a doctor would want me to lose more weight first, the trouble is...it's just not coming off!! Please, someone, anyone advise me...?

August 13, 2015 - 2:38pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Anonymous)

Getting the same surgery next mont. I love my stomach and am very scared. They did a cone, and am clear now. The cells they cut out are bad and will prob come back. With ins., I'm scared to wait and then need down the rd. Don't want a fat stomach at all. Thanks for all the input, these posts are all so helpful.

July 23, 2015 - 4:56pm
(reply to Anonymous)

I was diagnosed with Ampullary cancer 10/2014. Whipple surgery 11/2014...Saw spreading which were removed Stage IV. Clear
Margins. No Evidence of Cancer in CT scans and bloodwork until April when tumor marker rose and ct scan showed it spread to my both my ovaries. Now back on chemo...going well but not eligible for any more surgeries and my prognosis is not good. During my 2nd opinion, this surgeon said that the ovaries are popular sites for cancers and are almost like receptors to them. Having said all that, I would at least consider after 2nd, 3rd opinion to have at least ovaries removed. Hoping for the best for you and try to stay ahead of cancer because once it gets ahead of you, you run out of options.

June 6, 2015 - 4:55am
(reply to Anonymous)

Have you had anything done or come to any decision? Any hysterectomy involves cutting into muscles, ligaments and tendons--to say nothing of nerves. I was not told that, and everything is sagging in my abdomen, with a very prominent jelly roll, as it is called, between my navel and top of the pubic bone. I have had a constant low back ache from the time I first stood up after surgery that now I know is being caused by the stuff sagging downward in the front.

Hysterectomy is a huge money maker for docs and they will push it at the slightest chance. Get a second and third opinion, if you can. It will alter your body and mental state forever. We really do need our organs throughout our entire lives. I just love it when docs say "well, you are past menopause so the uterus and ovaries are no longer doing anything." It is a lie, and they know it. (BTW, I think Angelina Jolie has a mental problem. No woman in her right mind would have done what she did. The scare tactics are becoming more sophisticated.)

Please make a wise decision based on all the facts. No man has ever had a hysterectomy so what they say is based on their book learning and cutting skills. Good luck to you.

May 10, 2015 - 1:13pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

It has been about 4 years since I had my complete hysterectomy and I began walking and I have lost much of my belly fat but still have the flap. I am determined to loose this stomach!! I have cut out all sodas (pop), most sugars, bread and pasta and I have seen a tremendous change. My last resort is to have a tummy tuck which is very pricey but I feel is worth the cost. Good Luck Ladies on OUR journey to loose the weight and tummy... Have a Blessed Day...

January 29, 2015 - 7:33am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I finally found a place where just about every post sounds like my story. Had a full hysterectomy except for my cervix over a year ago. I can't believe how hard it has been to keep weight off. I was about a size 8 before. I noticed I started carrying weight around my belly so I started exercising more and eating less. Well the weight kept coming on...with my boobs getting better to boot. So I heard of intermittent fasting where you don't eat at all for a 24 hour period - just drink liquids - 2 times per week. That didn't do much but after about 6 weeks - yes 6 weeks - I started to notice a slight, very slight, weight loss. Maybe a couple of pounds. I was so frustrated because I was eating less, exercising more - I run 5 days per week, walk my dogs 7 days per week and go to a gym class 2 days per week. Still, no big noticeable change. I thought I'd take it up a notch. So now I've been fasting every other day. Not quite 24 hours, but probably about 22. I don't eat past 6:30 ever. I have noticed a slight weight loss, but not compared to what I'm doing. I teeter between a 6 and 8. Yet if I had done this extreme diet and exercise regimen before my surgery, I'd be a size 2! I can't believe all I have to do just to pretty much maintain my weight - just to maintain!!! I'm certain if I didn't do all of this, I'd be one of the posters claiming to have gained 40 pounds. And the belly fat - please, don't get me started. It just hangs there - I look 3 months pregnant. I'm on the lowest dose of the minivielle - .375mg. Let's face it ladies - chemical hormone replacement will never be as good as the real thing. It'll help our hot flashes, migraines and mood swings, but it'll never replace what our ovaries did. When I told my doctor about my frustrations, her response was "have you gotten shorter"? Which I thought was odd because how do you explain the sudden gain in belly fat and boobage with getting shorter. My hysto didn't cause me to get shorter. Well I have gotten shorter, but that's just collateral damage. I truly think we're gonna' have to live with it. I think this surgery affects all of us differently. Sadly, it's affected us worse. I'm just gonna' keep doing what I'm doing or I'll be 40 pounds heavier.

January 28, 2015 - 11:32pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Anonymous)

I also had a partial hysterectomy (kept my cervix) due to heavy bleeding from fibroids during my menstrual period. Prior to the surgery, my Dr. made comments like "I'm surprised you don't want to have the fibroid taken out for vanity reasons alone!" She said the fibroid was the size of a 6 month pregnancy. I am and was a size 2-4, around 120 pounds, mostly muscle. The reason I am telling you this is, no matter WHAT size you are, you will still have that belly roll! When I look at old pictures prior to my surgery, even tho I had the fibroid, my stomach looked tight and I can tighten it to make a 6 pack. A year after the surgery, I work out as much as I used to, and do even more core and abdominal exercise, but that flabby belly does not come off! Its disgusting, its flabby, loose and soft! People who don't see my bare stomach tell me I must have the tightest abs ever due to my core strength, but they are so wrong. If I lifted my shirt to show them, they would be shocked. I could literally grab INCHES of skin/fat on my sides and belly that are loose and hang there. I never knew this would happen. Had I known, I would've dealt with the heavy bleeding, and the ten more years before menopause hit... I feel so upset at my Dr. for making me believe that my stomach would get even flatter. How could she tell me that?? She is such a good experienced Dr. too. So I thought...

September 2, 2017 - 9:09pm
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.
By submitting this form, you agree to EmpowHER's terms of service and privacy policy
Add a Comment

All user-generated information on this site is the opinion of its author only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. Members and guests are responsible for their own posts and the potential consequences of those posts detailed in our Terms of Service.