Is menopause immediate after hysterectomy?

And what should one expect within the first year...any body odour...any vitamins to use.... any other medical changes to look for?

I had a hysterectomy at 40, and they left my ovaries. I am now (age 47) going through menopause. I am not using hormone therapy, but if they had taken my ovaries with the hysterectomy, I would have taken hormones for a while. I didn't notice any change in body odor. I am noticing changes in my skin now-wrinkles, splotching and some vaginal dryness. Also, I've had hot flashes and moodiness-like PMS times 10, lol! But it's SO worth it to me not to have to have a period every month!

If neither ovary is left, OMG YES it is immediate.

At 37 I had a complete and total hysterectomy, You are then in radical, abrupt menopause. You really MUST TAKE HORMONE REPLACEMENT. I have been on it 30 years and no breast cancer problems at all and of course no cervical cancer.

I have been on hormone replacement for 30 years and without it I am extremely paranoid, insecure, hot flashes are the least of it, but the emotional trauma it the worst. At least this is how it was for me.

Every time I try to taper off and stop the hormones everyone I know can tell because of my emotional behavior.

I take PREMARIN (1.25 now) but I started at 2.50, but I was 37 then.
My doctor also prescribed progesterone also, but I became very mean and truly hateful on it. So I have never taken it. Just the Premarin.

Good Luck, expect the changes that are going to happen. The interesting thing that happened was that I had had Horrible Migraines for 30 years and the hysterectomy stopped them totally, gone, no more.. They were hormone related migraines. Who knew.

It depends on whether you have your ovaries removed (oophorectomy). If you keep your ovaries, your body should continue to produce hormones, and you will go through menopause at the usual time (average age 50-55). However, if your ovaries are removed, menopause will be immediate. Hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus only.

You can take bio-identical hormones with little risk of cancer, but I recommend that you do not take Premarin or Prempro. Premarin is produced by keeping mares constantly pregnant (that's where the name comes from, PRegnant MARes' urINe). Aside from the animal rights issues, it contains equine (horse) hormones that are not found in the human body. These equine hormones plug into receptors that are supposed to be for human hormones, and have been linked to breast cancer.

I personally recommend Vivelle Dot patches. They are made from vegetable sources, and are biologically identical to the estrogen that your own body produces (estradiol). I am allergic to Band-Aids but I have never had a problem with Vivelle Dot patches. Estrogen pills are less available to your body and carry a higher risk of breast cancer. And if you don't have a uterus, there's no point in taking progesterone (as in Prempro).

Even if you're about to go through menopause, you really want some kind of hormone replacement therapy to ease your way. And there's a great website called HysterSisters.

When I had my hysterectomy, it was complete including ovaries, and I woke up with a estrogen patch on my back side.

Yes, hysterectomy creates instant menopause.

Once I got over the surgery, I take regular multi vitamins, no odor, no periods, and no real medical changes.

However, you need to get a good surgeon, ob/gyn and have them stitch up your bladder while in there to make sure it doesn't fall into the empty space and fold up. Also, check to see of colon needs stitched up for same reasons. If they don't do this, you could end up having more surgery later.

Drawbacks are loss of natural hormones (I was on hrt for 7 years), dry skin, dry hair, increased wrinkles and gravity gets bush pulling things down faster, if you know what I mean.

You don't start menopause until around the age of 40 and older. But if you've had a hysterectomy
you don't have anything to worry about.
Lucky you.