Understanding Hormonal Weight Gain After Total Hysterectomy

I. Introduction

Looking back about five years ago, I’m almost ashamed of myself for not knowing anything about the surgeries that would completely change my life! I’ve ALWAYS been the type of person that HAD to understand everything that happened to me.

It all happened so fast that I didn’t even have time to be nervous about having my very first surgery. And being diagnosed with cancer?? Well, that was the topper of all toppers!! There wasn’t much information on Low Grade Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma then and the fact that I had cancer became my primary focus.  

Without the cancer diagnosis, I would’ve been able to put all of my attention on surgical menopause weight gain after total hysterectomy, and I could’ve been so much more prepared for the fatigue, hot flashes and all the other things that happened. after my hysterectomy/oophorectomy.

I’ve never had a tiny waist or a “perfect” figure, whatever that means, but I was always on the thinner side and never had any fat around my midsection.

Our bodies have definitely changed! I see it every day when I look in the mirror or when I step on those scales. ☹️

It’s important to recognize that weight gain after hysterectomy can be influenced by hormonal changes, and understanding these shifts can help manage expectations and body image.

Weight gain after total hysterectomy is a common concern, and addressing it early can make a significant difference.

Let’s go inside of this topic and have a look around. Like I said, I’m the type of person who likes to understand “why” things are happening and “what” is causing them. When I can answer both of those questions, my life gets a little easier. Hopefully, it will make yours easier too!

II. The Science Behind Our Changing Bodies

Weight Gain After Total Hysterectomy: Understanding the Causes

When your ovaries are removed for any reason, you will be in surgical menopause. In a nutshell your ovaries produce almost all of your estrogen and progesterone, so when they are both removed, it’s game on!

The way estrogen affects metabolism and fat distribution is key to the changes that we are seeing.  Read this recent study and see what you think! Click here. 

Estrogen helps us build muscle and helps keep it strong, also helping muscles recover after an injury or accident. When the estrogen level is cut off, the building blocks of muscle making get reduced. 

We used to have more subcutaneous fat, (fat in the hip, thighs and butt,) now we have more visceral fat, (fat surrounding our organs.) Have you ever noticed that older women have smaller behinds?? This makes sense to me now!

Visceral fat makes hormones and chemicals that are toxic and is caused by eating more calories than we burn. As estrogen drops, affecting our hypothalamus, causing an increase in appetite, we sleep less and these things cause weight gain. It’s just a vicious circle.

Without the estrogen that our ovaries were producing, our bodies run differently.  Our metabolism goes down as we age even with our ovaries, but without them?? Honestly? For those that cannot take HRT, we will have to eat less and start becoming more active.

Prioritizing self-care can help mitigate weight gain after total hysterectomy.

III. My Personal Journey

For the first couple of months after my oophorectomy, I was off work on a medical leave and was pretty much just trying to get healed after being cut open twice. I had my original hysterectomy performed on November 8th, 2019 and the oophorectomy done on December 18th of 2019. Not quite five weeks apart. 

Hindsight is always 20/20 and I should’ve been a lot more active much sooner than I did.  I laid around too much and ate the wrong foods, not understanding that my body had changed.

I didn’t notice too much in those first few months other than my pants didn’t seem to fit right, especially at the waist. Then at my regular doctor’s appointment, I found that my cholesterol was now in the “high” range when it had always been perfect. My blood sugar was also higher than ever.

That’s when I realized that I had not been told the whole story by my doctors when I had those two surgeries. I understand what it’s like when all of these symptoms are happening, and then weight gain starts happening on top of it all. It’s quite scary to literally see your health spiraling downward.

IV. Practical Strategies That Have Helped

Movement With Exercise

I’ll be the first one to admit it. I hate exercising. It’s the truth. But, I’ve come to the realization that like it or not, if I want to lose weight, be healthier, and have my energy back, I’ll have to figure out a way to enjoy exercising. There just isn’t any other way around it.

Here’s a quick list of what I’m trying:

• Pilates: I’m finding things like gentle Pilates and Express Pilates.

• Yoga: To me, this seems like a great way to create flexibility and flexibility helps nerve pain!

• 15 minute workouts: I’m seeing a lot of these and doesn’t it sound super appealing? 15 minutes goes by really fast!

• Tia chi or kata: My husband is a black belt in Shito-Ryu karate and we’ve practiced kata together. It’s an elegant dance-like move that looks easy but it isn’t! Trust me!

Nutrition without restriction, which is simply having a balanced diet and not having restrictions on any one particular food. When I KNOW that I’m not supposed to have something, it just makes me want it more!

Finding balance in your life after experiencing weight gain after total hysterectomy is crucial.

Stress Relievers

Stress creates cortisol and cortisol is a key player in weight gain whether you have your ovaries or not. Some of the main ways that you can keep stress down are:

• Exercise: Whatever it is that you ENJOY, do that! Just be sure it has a weight-bearing component to it, even if the weight is YOU!

• Yoga or Stretching: Like I mentioned above, stretching has made the difference for me in pain levels, especially nerve pain. There are some REALLY effective stretches for sciatica, hip pain and I’ve found some that helped with a pinched nerve in my neck.

• Nature Time: Mindfulness and Nature are two areas you could never go wrong. Look up this.

• Sleep: I can’t stress enough how important a good night’s sleep is. It will literally make the difference between a good day or a bad one. Read more here!

• Hobby you enjoy: Something that does not involve your phone, Kindle or TV. Reading, gardening, a puzzle or trying a new craft: crochet, ceramics or looming!

• Social Life: Keep your connections going. I’m pretty introverted but this is changing. We all need friends, especially the ones who are like-minded and just “get it.”

Instead of waiting until you lose a few pounds, purchase some clothes that fit you where you’re at. They can look flattering and not break the bank either. Think thrift stores or discounted items.

V. The Emotional Landscape

Reframe Your Thinking

There is an actual term, “body grief” that people are dealing with and it’s the emotions that come up when your body doesn’t match what the “societal norm” is or what social media would have you think you should look like. I dislike social media for that particular reason.  

When you have your ovaries removed, your body is going to change. This is what I’m currently experiencing. For me it’s not so much the weight and body composition changes but the loss of the things that I associate with youth. Sagging skin and wrinkles because of collagen loss. Dry, itchy skin and tinnitus?? There seems to be many issues to manage.

Sharing experiences in a of community of like minded people is great because weight gain after total hysterectomy is a journey that many can relate to.

Honestly ladies, as I write this, right now this very minute, I’m coming from a sudden, depression like sadness that came seemingly out of nowhere this morning. It’s just one of the things that comes with surgical menopause. It does pass given some time.

If you’re still reading, I really want you to know that I deeply understand how you feel. I can’t tell you enough how important it is for you to find support and I mean REAL support.  Perhaps you already have good friends that “get it” and that’s great! Reach out however you need to through online groups, blogs like mine or your church. It just needs to be REAL.

VI. Moving Forward with Grace

How About A Little Self-Care?

Now it’s time to write about some things that you can do to lift yourself up and care for yourself!

• Movement: Walking Meditation is the same as sitting, it just breaks up the cycle. 
• Stretching: I can’t tell you how much this will help you with pain! 
• Yoga: Do the poses that feel good, feel right for you. Experiment with different ones and have fun!
• Eating: Sitting down to a healthy, super tasty meal will pick you up when you want guilt-free energy! My favorite type is fruit. A combo of chopped mango, fresh blueberries and raspberries! OMG!
• Keep a journal and record what you eat, drink, hot flash triggers and how much sleep you’re getting. This is not to look at and judge yourself but simply just to “notice” what you do.
• Listen to uplifting, encouraging podcasts. There are so many on Spotify and many other platforms that you can listen to during a walk, workout or a drive.
• Educate: Take a course on a subject you’ve always wanted to learn about! Share your knowledge with a friend!

Don’t be so rigid with yourself that one slip and you just want to throw in the towel! Just see it for what it is. As long as you keep putting one foot in front of the other and taking the “next right step,” you can be proud of yourself.

Building confidence in your changing body is so important! Don’t focus so much on the numbers on the scale but rather how you feel. Remember that stress can elevate cortisol and that makes you gain weight, so stay relaxed and remind yourself of this often.

VII. Resources and Support

What I’m seeing from all of the information about weight gain/loss and eating right in my own personal experience is that the “Mediterranean Diet” seems to be the winner here.  Click here to see what it’s about!

There are all kinds of weight loss groups and surgical menopause groups on most all of the social media platforms. Finding support while dealing with weight gain after total hysterectomy can make the journey much easier.

This blog is literally dedicated to women who have been or are currently in surgical menopause, no matter the reason. There is still so much to be learned about this phase that women go through at some time in their life.

I want to educate you and myself about all there is to know about surgical menopause from top to bottom, inside out. I totally believe that we deserve to and can absolutely have a “good life” after surgical menopause. It might look a little different and that’s ok.

This is the perfect time to really sit back and look at your life. What do you want to change, who do you want to become and I think it should be fun making the changes needed! Don’t you??

Please come back to my blog! I’m always working on new posts! Take care of yourself!