I am 1 week post op Laparoscopic hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. I can’t sleep and when I do finally fall asleep, I have horrible, vivid nightmares. Is this normal? Does it last long?
I had mine at 35, and had the worst issues with sleep. Estrogen helped, but I needed to take a sleep aid. It's been 20 years this year, and I'm still on a sleep med.
Before the surgery, I could fall asleep anywhere. After, sleep became a real issue. Talk to your doctor. I don't know why you had your surgery, and if taking estrogen is not appropriate, but there are several medications that are safe that can help you sleep.
Oh, it might also be from a pain medication if you are still on those. Definitely talk to your doc.
Sleep issues, as well as many other life altering symptoms, tend to occur after having the ovaries removed. However, it may take a number of weeks or months for the full effects to manifest as your body uses up reserves.
Have you discussed HRT/MHT with your doctor? The loss of ovarian hormones increases risk for a number of health problems and earlier mortality. The ovaries of naturally menopausal women produce hormones for decades and probably for life, especially testosterone, some of which is converted into estrogen.