Going through a hysterectomy procedure can be daunting for your spouse, so as a husband, there are things you can do to help them go through the procedure. It is important to understand hysterectomy surgery is generally not an optional procedure. Even if there are alternate treatment options available, getting a recommendation to get a hysterectomy means there are considerably serious menstrual health issues that your wife is facing.
So, a husband’s role after hysterectomy would be to first learn about the procedure and be aware of its recovery process. This is crucial to ensure you can support your partner through a tough period. And to help you navigate hysterectomy surgery recovery support, here is a look at 10 post-hysterectomy care tips that you can perform while caring for spouse post-surgery.
After your wife is out of the surgery, Gynaecologists may recommend that she can go home. Be there for her. Bring her home safely and don’t let her drive or have her come home alone. These moments are emotionally jarring for any person to has gone through a major procedure like a hysterectomy. Being there by her side is one of the best ways for you to support your wife after surgery.
Once she is back home from the hospital, make sure you share the household responsibilities with her. Getting adequate rest after the procedure will help her recover faster and be able to get back to her life again. However, having to perform all types of household chores may delay recovery and increase the chances for complications. So, be it cooking, cleaning, or other household chores, try to help her as much as you can.
Post-surgery, there are a lot of medications that patients may need to have. Having medicines on time is crucial to ensure quick and proper recovery. You can also help her get all the medicines she needs on time. To help her stay on her recovery schedule, you can talk to her Gynaecologists and understand her medicine schedules yourself to help her recover smoothly.
When you are back from the hospital, one of the first things anybody would want is to feel normal again. And feeling normal involves doing all the things you used to do before. However, after a surgery, rest is required to ensure you are not putting yourself in danger. So, make sure you encourage your partner to get the rest they need. And the best way to ensure this is to be with them and not leave them alone during the recovery process.
Emotional support is just as important as physical support in helping patients recover. Being there for your wife emotionally means you should be receptive to her needs. All the points mentioned above are parts of supporting your partner physically and emotionally. Additionally, you can also try to help her feel normal about herself and help her with any insecurities that she might be developing. Small actions go a long way in helping your wife recover well.
Recovery is a lot about eating healthy and if your wife is the person that always makes delicious meals for you, this is your chance to return the favor. Do note that the food you prepare for her, should also be healthy and not just tasty. Having a balanced meal every day can help her regain her strength and recover quicker. You can also talk to her Gynecologists to understand her dietary needs post surgery better.
This is a great opportunity for you to understand the recovery process in detail and note down any details that she may miss during the visits. It is also a great way to show your support for her recovery and ensure that she is safe while traveling.
Recovery depends on the patient and it doesn’t always work like clockwork. It is key that you remain patient and supportive of your wife throughout the process. This will help her feel more comfortable and not feel rushed to recover. Allowing your wife to take the time will help her immensely as the female body can go through difficult hormonal changes after an aggressive procedure like a hysterectomy. So, always remember patience is the key.
This is a very important yet tricky subject. If you don’t bring up sex, your wife may feel that you don’t desire her anymore or are freaked out by her after the procedure. On the contrary, if you constantly bring it up, it would be an unnecessary pressure on her. The key is to talk openly about the subject with your wife and offer positive reinforcement to her about her femininity and desirability.
Ask her about her feelings. Ask her how she is recovering. What is she scared of? Talk to her doctor and understand the changes (if any) she might be going through post surgery and talk to her about them. A lot of the time, after hysterectomy surgery, women may have bouts of depression due to the loss of fertility. Talk to your wife and let her know of your presence and support throughout the process. It will help you maintain a solid relationship while being the best friend and partner your wife needs as she is going through something.
A hysterectomy is a complicated and expansive surgical procedure. Recovery from hysterectomy doesn’t only include physical and emotional recovery. The body undergoes certain permanent changes after a hysterectomy, which you as a husband must know. Being aware of the changes in your partner’s body will help you know how to help them cope. It is also important for you to know as it will help you manage your expectations after the surgery. So, to help you know what to expect, here’s a complete guide for sex after a hysterectomy for husbands.
This is the most important question. The answer is yes you can have sex after going through the procedure. However, doctors will in most cases recommend you to not engage in vaginal penetrative sex at least for four to six weeks after the surgery. This is because in most cases, it takes a while for the top of the vagina to recover after surgery.
If the surgery involves only the removal of the uterus, it can take anywhere between three to four weeks for your partner to recover. If the surgery involves removing both the uterus and the ovaries it can take up to six weeks for complete recovery. During this period, penetrative sex is not recommended, however, there are other ways to achieve sexual satisfaction that can be used during this period.
Both you and your partner can engage in other forms of sex without any risk. Just be sure to discuss with your partner what you are interested in doing and mutually decide what seems best for you to try during this period.
Does hysterectomy affect libido? No, getting a hysterectomy procedure doesn’t directly affect one’s libido. It does only when the hysterectomy requires taking out both the ovaries and the uterus during the surgery. Unless this is the case, going through a hysterectomy procedure should not affect the libido of your partner. It is important to note that while there are not any physical reasons that would affect your partner’s libido, the emotional toll of going through a major surgery like a hysterectomy can. Your partner may face a loss of libido due to emotional distress post-surgery. Be sure to talk to your partner and help them by discussing their issues and being understanding of their emotions.
No, in most cases, sex doesn’t affect vaginal sensation in women and sex can feel as usual after the recovery period is over. However, in cases where the ovaries had to be removed too during hysterectomy, sex can feel different after the surgery, even after the recovery period.
This is mainly because the removal of the ovaries puts the body directly into menopause, which may dry out the vaginal tissues. This can make sex more painful after a hysterectomy as the vagina may feel dry. It can be managed by using lubricants and ensuring that your partner is ready for intercourse before initiating.
Understanding and communication along with a little bit of medical help can completely solve this issue without any problems.
Yes in most cases, your partner will be able to have an orgasm even after the surgery. However, the intensity of orgasms can be reduced after the surgery in some women. If your partner is experiencing difficulty in having orgasms or is unable to have them at all, it may be because the doctors were forced to sever the nerves in her uterus. These nerves are responsible for women to experience orgasms.
Similarly, in some cases, the cervix also needs to be removed during a hysterectomy. The cervix contains nerves that are stimulated in women during sex. If the cervix is removed during a hysterectomy, it can make it difficult for women to orgasm from sex as those nerves might be removed too in the procedure.
While this is possible, it should be noted that this is not a common process and doctors generally opt not to do this during surgery. To ensure that you and your partner are safe against problems like this, make sure you opt to get your surgery from the best gynecologist hospital in Delhi. At MASSH you will get to go through the procedure under the guidance of the best gynecologist in Delhi, which ensures you are at lower risk of postoperative complications.
Once you have gone through the procedure and the recovery period, your sex life should be back to normal as it was before. The only special effort required from your end would be to be understanding during the recovery period and engage in non-penetrative sexual activities. Once the recovery phase is complete, it would be best advised for you were to ease back into your sex life and make sure you are giving your partner enough love and support emotionally too. Making sure you are engaging with your partner with some foreplay before initiating intercourse can also be a great way to ensure that your sex life can restart without any problems.
In case if you are experiencing vaginal dryness, which is causing pain and discomfort during sex, you can talk to your gynecologist for help. They can prescribe estrogen creams, rings, or supplement tablets, which can help. If you want an immediate remedy, you can use water or silicone-based lubricants during sex to ease vaginal dryness and it will help too with the symptoms you are experiencing. However, it is recommended that you discuss the problem with your doctor at least once. This will help you ensure that the pain during sex is not being caused by any complication that requires medical attention.
That’s it, we hope this answers all the common questions that you may have about sex after hysterectomy. For more queries, you can always talk to your wife’s doctor or if you want a second opinion, check out MASSH and contact us today to learn more.
If you follow these tips as a husband, your wife will love you more and recover in an optimal timeline. Just remember that communicating with her and being there by her side are the two most important things you can do during this period. You can also talk to her doctor to learn more about ways you can help her recover and on how to approach sex after a hysterectomy. To learn more about hysterectomy surgery and get the best minimally invasive hysterectomy procedure with a quick recovery, visit MASSH.
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