Hysterectomy and Menopause By Dr. Jacqueline Gerhart
Madison, Wisconsin - UW Health Family Medicine physician Jacqueline Gerhart writes a column that appears weekly on madison.com and in the Wisconsin State Journal. Columns are re-published here with permission. UW Health Family Medicine physician Dr. Jacqueline GerhartDear Dr. Gerhart: I think I'm going through menopause because I have hot flashes. But I'm not sure because I've had a hysterectomy. How do I know? Dear Reader: Menopause is defined as the loss of your period (or absence of menstruation) for 12 months. Since you have had your uterus removed, you no longer have periods. So you can't use that as a guide to when you are going through menopause. Because of this, you need to look for other signs and symptoms associated with menopause, and sometimes may need further testing to rule out other disorders. Almost on a daily basis I have patients come in to ask me about testing for menopause. Usually, they ask me to test their hormone levels in hopes of determining if ...