I am now solidly 8 weeks out from the big uterus & ovary boot and its been a journey of healing and HRT so it seems worthy of an update on what I’ve learned and how things are going on the great early menopause journey.  I will tell you that I can easily stand here and say it was the best decision I’ve ever made and I only wish I had done it sooner!  It was the last thing I wanted to happen but the outcome has been so peaceful and I am so thankful.

Heres a recap on the healing…it was SO much easier than I even anticipated.  I know that I am fortunate enough to be very healthy and have no other health issues outside of my misbehaving uterus so I understand that this may not be the case for everybody.  I was very intentional prior to surgery to try to put myself in the best position possible from a health standpoint, which you can read about here if you are curious and I do think it had a part in a speedy recovery!  My first baby was a c-section so I had at least some idea of what recovery from an abdominal surgery would be like.  If you have had a c-section then you know that the recovery can be pretty gnarly and rough.  This was WAY better and I didn’t have to take care of a baby while recovering….bonus!  Haha  I have 4 very small incisions all of which are healing nicely and have been no trouble thankfully.  All in all I feel like the hardest part post surgery was my insides settling back into place and my bladder and bowels not feeling quite normal for a couple weeks.  I’m quite thankful to report that all resolved itself 100% despite a few moments of fear and panic, possibly resulting in there now being a squatty potty in my bathroom, lol. I returned back to full activity at 6 weeks but I had been slowly building up to it even prior to that with walking and short body weight workouts.  And now at the 8 week mark everything feels completely normal once again.  I am beyond thankful for this.  

The hormone replacement plan is solidly in full swing.  I went to see my GYN at about 3 weeks post op to discuss all things HRT!  Despite being thrown into full blown surgical menopause I wasn’t feeling too bad at that point but after about a week and half post surgery the menopause symptoms slowly started to creep in so by the time my appointment rolled around I was ready for all the hormones! Ha!  My doctor is very collaborative so we talked through my goals and desires for hormone therapy and she walked me through all of the various options so we could decide where to start!  We started at the mid range dose of an estrogen patch, a really cool vaginal estrogen called Imvexxy, decided on no progesterone (I don’t have to have it since I have no uterus but if you have a uterus you need a form of progesterone if you are taking estrogen!) and she ran some blood work to look at my testosterone levels.  A note on the two types of estrogen.  You can and should utilize both!  Think of vaginal estrogen as skincare…this is not the same as systemic estrogen (the patch, oral etc.) friends!  We have estrogen receptors on the outside of our reproductive structures and its really important to treat that as we lose our estrogen as well.  This prevents so many of things, and if you are curious this podcast episode is great!  My doctor strongly suggested an option called Imvexxy because of its ease of use and it took a little bit of work for me to find it at an affordable price given the insurance games we must play these days but I am happy with the option and would recommend it!  Regarding testosterone…yes its super important for us ladies as well!  My doctor informed me that I would definitely lose my testosterone levels along the way but its one to decline slowly so she is running blood work every 6 weeks to keep an eye on it and supplement it with a compounded cream when the time arrives.  As an overall note, I just want to encourage anyone starting on the HRT journey that it can be a bit of trial and error to find the right dosage and the right product.  Kimberly and I have both had to do a lot of learning this past year and feel so strongly that it is worth it for our long term health!  We will continue to adjust my patch dosage as needed and integrate some compounded testosterone at the right time!

I am so thankful I had a fantastic surgeon and amazing friends and family who brought meals and took care of us along the way.  We are truly blessed and I am so thankful my outcome has been so positive and encouraging.  The next few months will be rebuilding muscle strength lost during recovery and as I mentioned, dialing in HRT for the most optimal dosage.  It is definitely a marathon and not a sprint and it has been an exercise to be patient through the process at times.  Even now, rebuilding my strength through my daily workouts has felt slow and sometimes discouraging but always worth it.  As one of our favorite menopause docs on the IG says, we are working on our nursing home prevention program, ha!  The 40’s have certainly brought on some unexpected and unpredictable changes so far and I feel like all of my girlfriends in the age range have agreed.  Life has a funny way of helping us slow down and focus on what is important, oftentimes adjusting our perspective.  Cheers to the decade of the 40’s and all that we will learn along the way.  

XO 

Sarah