Connect
Looking for Insight: Emotional Changes After Hysterectomy
I’m about 10 weeks post-hysterectomy (ovaries were kept), and while I’m no longer in pain, I’ve been struggling with intense anxiety, emotional swings, dizziness, headaches, and insomnia. It feels different than my pre-surgery anxiety, more unpredictable and harder to manage.
I’ve dealt with anxiety for years, but it was always fairly well-managed with medication. Since surgery, though, it feels like something has shifted and my usual tools aren’t working the same.
Before surgery, I had a diagnosis of simple endometrial hyperplasia w/o atypical. Post-op pathology showed no hyperplasia, adenomyosis, or endo, just two small fibroids and a retroflexed uterus.
My recent hormone labs:
• Estradiol: 186
• FSH: 7.4
• Progesterone: 0.29
My doctor says I’m not in menopause, but I’m wondering if low progesterone could be behind how I’m feeling. I’m also on meds for ADHD and anxiety (methylphenidate, Wellbutrin, and Buspar) and trying to figure out how to approach this safely.
Has anyone experienced emotional changes like this post-hysterectomy, even with normal estrogen? Did progesterone therapy help?
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Women's Health Support Group.
Connect
YES!! Please, please talk to your doctor about trying bioidentical progesterone.
After my hysterectomy (I kept one ovary), I was told I didn’t need any hormone support either — and I believed it. But soon after, I became extremely anxious, depressed, and even suicidal at times. Instead of addressing my hormones, I was put on psychiatric medications. For nearly 20 years, I struggled, thinking this was just my “new normal.”
Finally, I decided to advocate for myself. My doctor (reluctantly) agreed to prescribe an estrogen patch and bioidentical progesterone — and the difference was night and day. I hadn’t felt so clear-headed or slept so deeply since before my hysterectomy.
As women, our hormones do so much more than just regulate reproduction. The myth that "no uterus means no need for progesterone" really frustrates me. That reasoning only applies to preventing uterine lining buildup. Progesterone also calms the brain, helps balance estrogen, supports mood stability, and aids sleep. Honestly, I wish someone had told me all this years ago.
Looking at your labs — your estradiol looks decent, and your FSH is not yet in the menopausal range, but that very low progesterone could definitely be part of the emotional turbulence you’re feeling. You’re not alone, and you’re not imagining it.
Wishing you clarity, peace, and a doctor who listens. You deserve to feel like you again. 💛
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 ReactionsMy doctor responded back that my progesterone level is consistent with being in the first 1/2 of my menstrual cycle. No pregnancy and not menopause. Doesn’t sound like they are concerned right now.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionMaybe checking another progesterone level at a time when the progesterone should be at its highest level would help differentiate
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 Reaction