In order to reduce belly fat and avoid menstruation, a group of people are collectively advocating hysterectomy

There is no need to elaborate on the troubles that menstruation brings to women. When I first learned that I would have my period every month at the age of 13, I was devastated. In addition to the inconvenience of bleeding and the dysmenorrhea that most people experience, menstrual symptoms such as edema, soreness in the waist and abdomen, fatigue, and premenstrual discomfort such as irritability, depression, insomnia, and headaches also make women suffer a lot.

Therefore, I fully understand the feelings of many female friends who do not want to have menstruation, but I was still shocked to see countless people on social networks promoting hysterectomy, and one of the purposes was even just to make their belly flatter .

Friends, do you really understand what this operation means?

01

Hysterectomy is not a minor surgery

The space inside the pelvis is called the pelvic cavity. As one of the main organs of the pelvic cavity, the uterus is not lying there alone like eggs in a basket.

There are many groups of ligaments in front, behind, left and right of the uterus to maintain its forward tilted position and forward curved shape. There are also ligaments and muscles underneath to support the uterus to prevent it from falling .

When removing the uterus, in addition to making an incision to enter the abdomen, it is also necessary to cut the ligaments around the uterus and ligate the blood vessels that supply blood to the uterus. The trauma alone is already considerable .

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Therefore, doctors in regular hospitals will only recommend hysterectomy to patients when the condition has progressed to the point where the uterus must be removed, or when the benefits of hysterectomy outweigh the risks. If there is no indication for surgery, doctors cannot violate medical ethics and perform surgery without authorization, no matter how strongly the patient requests it.

02

Risks and complications of hysterectomy

The uterus is located in the pelvic cavity and is normally only the size of a Korla pear. Whether the lower abdomen is flat is mainly related to the amount of subcutaneous fat. Removing a normal uterus is like moving a piece of furniture out of the house, and it does not affect the appearance of the house.

The uterus is about the size of the palm.

A hysterectomy won't flatten your belly, but it does carry risks .

Anyone who has undergone surgery must have signed a consent form, in which the myriad surgical risks listed are objective and have actually occurred.

With so many incisions during a hysterectomy, there is a risk of bleeding and infection during the operation and during the postoperative recovery. People with underlying diseases such as anemia and diabetes are at higher risk.

During the anesthesia process, there are also unexpected risks such as drug allergy, vomiting and aspiration into the lungs, laryngeal edema, and glottal injury .

The bladder is in front of the uterus and the rectum is behind it. The uterine artery and ureter are very close to each other. If there are adhesions or structural abnormalities when the uterus is removed, there is a risk of damaging these surrounding organs during separation.

During postoperative recovery, there are risks such as thrombosis, intestinal paralysis, and intestinal obstruction .

Even after the postoperative recovery period, the abdominal and pelvic cavities that have undergone surgery are prone to organ adhesions during the recovery process, which manifests as chronic abdominal and pelvic pain. The scars from the abdominal incision may also have numbness, pain, and itching.

Hysterectomy may also affect the blood supply to the ovaries, damage ovarian function, and lead to early menopause .

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Of course, many of these surgical risks are low-probability events and will not occur 100%. When the medical community formulates surgical indications, it weighs the pros and cons and believes that the benefits of surgery far outweigh these risks and are worth doing. However, if you undergo a hysterectomy just to avoid menstruation, the risks and benefits are obviously not matched .

03

Menstrual-related troubles still exist

Regardless of the risks, after a hysterectomy, you can indeed stop menstruating, stop having dysmenorrhea, and stop having uterine-related diseases. However, many menstrual-related troubles still exist.

After hysterectomy, the ovaries will still ovulate regularly, which means that the estrogen and progesterone levels in the body will still change cyclically. Premenstrual symptoms, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) related to estrogen and progesterone fluctuations will not be alleviated. In other words, although menstruation is no longer present, many people will still experience edema, irritability, anxiety, changes in appetite, headaches, insomnia and other discomfort symptoms periodically .

At present, there are many solid studies that prove that exercise can relieve various menstrual-related discomfort symptoms, and there are safe drugs to treat dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia. The "strong medicine" of hysterectomy should be saved for more necessary times!

Author: Doctor Flying Knife Cutting Rain

Reviewer: Zhou Li, Chief Physician, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University