Topic summary
Hysterectomies
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Hysterectomy.
Premature menopause and its effects
Hysterectomies that also include the surgical removal of the ovaries (i.e. an oophorectomy) result in significant hormonal changes to the body. Estrogen levels fall sharply when the ovaries are removed, removing the protective effects of estrogen on the cardiovascular and skeletal systems. This condition is often referred to as "surgical menopause", although it is substantially different from a naturally occurring menopausal state; the former is a sudden hormonal shock to the body that causes rapid onset of menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, while the latter is a gradually occurring decrease of hormonal levels over a period of years with uterus intact and ovaries able to produce hormones even after the cessation of menstrual periods.