Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be searching the internet for “how to prepare for a hysterectomy,” but at age 36 that’s exactly where I found myself. I imagine you never thought the same for yourself, did you?

But since this is where life has brought us, I’m happy to share what tips and advice I learned from my surgery.

Of course, allow me to first say I am by no means a medical professional. Everything written below is either what I learned from first-hand experience from surgery, or common suggestions from my online research in how to prepare for a hysterectomy. Your doctor is always your best option if you have questions or concerns.

How Did I Get Here?

If you’re a fellow cancer survivor, this story of how I came to have a hysterectomy at age 37 may interest you. If not, feel free to skip to the next session.

When I was 22 years old, I wanted my tubes tied. I knew I didn’t want children, but I wasn’t keen on being on birth control, so tying my tubes seemed like the best option. My gynecologist informed me, however, that women cannot get their tubes tied until they are at least 35 years old or have already had children… Yeah, ain’t that a kick in the pants? But that’s a whole other discussion.

At 25 years old I started birth control to lessen the heavy bleeding and cramping my periods gave me. But at age 30, I found out I have an abnormal blood clotting factor that is sensitive to hormones, and thus had to stop taking the pill.

Fast forward to age 36 and being well past my breast cancer treatment, and I realized I was finally old enough to get my tubes tied!

When I again mentioned tying my tubes to my gynecologist, she responded that, given my family’s cancer history as well as my own, she actually recommended I remove my tubes. Interestingly, ovarian cancer is often found to have started in the fallopian tubes, not in the ovaries themselves. So removing the fallopian tubes might reduce one’s risk of ovarian cancer.

At that point I figured if she was removing parts anyway, what about removing the cervix and uterus as well, thus reducing my risk of three cancers? She, my oncologist, and my PCP were all onboard, so long as we left my ovaries intact so I wasn’t pushed into menopause so young.

Thus began my internet search of how to prepare for a hysterectomy.

The hairnet always completes the pre-surgery ensemble.

Things to Keep in Mind As You Prepare for a Hysterectomy

As one who had DIEP flap breast reconstruction, the idea of a hysterectomy honestly seemed pretty easy. But keep in mind that a hysterectomy is a major surgery, and isn’t a decision you should take lightly.

Because having a hysterectomy would decrease my risk of three cancers after already surviving breast cancer, it was an easy decision for me to move forward with surgery. The peace of mind I got about not risking pregnancy, as well as knowing I wouldn’t have to deal with periods anymore were just bonuses.

{Aside: My pathology report later showed I had adenomyosis, which is a form of endometriosis that can cause heavy menstrual bleeding and cramping, as well as pain during intercourse. This further validated my decision to have surgery, but I didn’t know I had this condition until after my surgery was complete.}

Physical Health

As with any major surgery, there are potential risks, so I don’t recommend getting a hysterectomy unless the pros vastly outweigh the cons for you.

I’d also like to stress that healing can look VERY different between two people. I recovered rather quickly, whereas other women needed a solid two months to heal. My mom’s coworker reported not fully getting her energy back for nearly 6 months. As such, be patient with yourself and ease into activities after surgery.

Emotional Health

Lastly, don’t forget about your emotional health in preparing for a hysterectomy. I was actually looking forward to getting the procedure, though I did have some difficult moments when I realized I was losing yet more of my body, and the gravity of surgery kicked in. But, relatively speaking, these heavy thoughts only last a day or two. Conversely, many women, especially mothers or those who wanted more children, really grieved what this surgery meant.

Whether you’re celebrating or grieving, both responses are valid. Be sure to give yourself time to prepare and heal emotionally.

Financial Health

It’s always worth a phone call to your insurance company to verify if your procedure will be covered, and to what extent. If a hysterectomy is an elective procedure and not medically necessary, your insurance may not cover it. Even if insurance does cover your surgery, it’s always good to know what expenses you may incur.

If money is tight, check with your hospital about financial assistance. Some hospitals offer aid if your income is below a certain amount.

Before Surgery

It’s worth noting early on that my hysterectomy was done laparoscopically. A hysterectomy can be done laparoscopically, vaginally, or abdominally, and each one is a bit different in regards to healing. Laparoscopic hysterectomies are generally easier to heal from, so keep this in mind as you’re reading through this if your surgery is to be done abdominally.

There are several facets that go into preparing for a hysterectomy, no matter whether it’s laparoscopic or abdominal, so let’s dive into each one!

Bowel Prep

Yup, here’s a fun one I had no idea was coming, so let’s cover this first.

Depending on your doctor, you may have to do a bowel prep in order to prepare for your hysterectomy surgery day. The idea is that, by clearing out your bowels, your doctor will have a bit more room to work inside your abdominal cavity. Also, if your bowels happen to get nicked during the procedure, it’s far easier to stitch up the cut if your bowels are empty than to risk fecal matter escaping into your abdominal cavity. (Note: the risk isn’t high, it’s just a precautionary measure.)

If you’ve ever had a colonoscopy, you already know the drill for a bowel prep. If not, here are a few key pointers.

My doctor instructed me to use a bottle of powdered Miralax for my prep. While this can be mixed with water, I don’t recommend it if you’re sensitive to textures. There was no flavor, but the water had a thicker texture that was just odd and made it harder for me to get through. Instead, consider mixing the Miralax with bone broth, apple juice, or white grape juice.

Since you won’t be able to eat all day, don’t worry about counting calories with the juice or other beverages. It’s more important at this point to stay hydrated! Bone broth, water, juice, and electrolyte drinks are all good to have on hand this day. I’m a fan of Liquid IV and LMNT, if you want electrolyte options other than Gatorade or Pedialyte.

Also, don’t make plans to leave the house on the day you prep. As prep day will be the day before surgery, make sure you’ve done your grocery shopping before prep day. Fun fact, y’all, your poop will be liquified, so you’ll want to have easy access to a bathroom for the day. And NEVER trust a fart!

To Aid in Recovery

Studies show that a high dose of vitamin C can aid the body in recovering from surgery. The vitamin C can not only help reduce the risk of infection, but it also encourages collagen growth, which the body uses to heal after surgery.

Of course, it’s always best to get vitamins through food, but a supplement can be really useful for achieving high doses for a short period of time. As always, it’s good to talk to your doctor about recommended doses or special concerns.

A high protein diet is also beneficial when healing from surgery. The general guideline after surgery is to consume 1 to 1.5 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight. This means a 200-pound person should aim for between 91 and 137 grams of protein. For some of us, it’s a challenge to eat that much protein every day for a couple weeks after surgery, so you may need to do some pre-surgery meal planning.

Eggs, lean meats, nuts, beans, and protein shakes are all good options to stock up on before surgery. As I have a hard time getting the recommended amount of protein, I swapped creamer for a scoop of vanilla or pumpkin spice protein powder in my coffee for the first couple weeks after surgery.

Preparing Your Home

I highly recommend meal planning and prep right before surgery, especially if you live alone. For one thing, you’ll have a 10-to-20-pound weight lifting restriction for a couple weeks, which can make grocery shopping and lifting pans and jars difficult. But you also may just be tired and in need of rest. Having some easy-to-assemble salads or fridge/freezer meals ready to go is super helpful!

Even if you don’t meal plan far ahead, at least have a meal ready to go for the evening you return home from surgery. Someone should be with you since you’ll still have anesthesia in your system, but coming up with a plan ahead of time is helpful, especially if you’re prone to feeling ill from anesthesia.

Along those lines, be sure that what you’ll need for the first week after surgery is easily accessible. You may be very mobile after surgery, which is awesome. Or you may be fatigued and sore, combined with the weight restriction. So setting up camp at your bedside or the chair you’ll use during the day can be helpful just in case. Consider a phone charger, book, lip balm, water bottle, and whatever other essentials you use regularly.

I also recommend you tidy up the house before surgery. This is, again, more important for those who live alone, but also helpful in general. If you’re fatigued and sore, the last thing you’ll want to do after you arrive home is worry about the dishes or the dusting. And with your weight restriction, you likely won’t be vacuuming or messing with laundry for at least a week, maybe two.

Preparing Mentally

This step will look different for everyone, but it’s worth taking a moment to process your thoughts before you go in for surgery. Journaling is a great way to work through your thoughts. Or perhaps you want a night out with friends (pro tip: make sure this is at least two days before surgery if you have to do a bowel prep).

If you’re a big fan of bubble baths, I’d recommend a bath (or two) before your surgery date as you won’t be able to have one for at least a month after surgery.

For those of us who are a bit sassy, may I suggest a No Mo Aunt Flow party? I didn’t learn about period parties until well after I started menstruating. So, seeing as my uterus was about to be evicted, I decided to celebrate the end of menstruating instead. My sister and I got together for some red velvet cake and red wine and made a party of it. Humor is one of my coping mechanisms, and I’m all about celebrating every little thing, so this helped me process the reality of surgery, but in a way that was fun.

No Mo Aunt Flow party!

The Day of Surgery

If your hysterectomy will be done laparoscopically, you likely will have an outpatient procedure. It’s always good to check with your doctor about this, though, in case your situation is different.

On the bright side, an outpatient procedure means you don’t have to pack a suitcase for your hospital stay. I do, however, recommend packing your phone charger, toothbrush, and toothpaste just in case there’s a change of plans.

Your clothes for surgery day should be a bit loose, comfortable, and easy to put on. That’s especially important for your pants so they don’t irritate your abdominal incisions. Slip-on shoes with decent traction will also make your life easier so you’re not bending over to tie them.

There’s no need to take a separate outfit to leave the hospital, so just wear your comfy clothes going into it. I wore sweatpants, Crocs, and my beloved HealInComfort shirt, which opens up to the front with Velcro. I don’t do well with anesthesia, so clothing that is super easy to put on helped tremendously.

You may wish to take a pad or period underwear (like Thinx) if you have them available for your trip home. If not, the hospital can provide you with a pad. There may be a bit of blood in the area, so the pad can provide peace of mind against messes.

A small pillow, blanket, or sweatshirt across your lap can be useful for the car ride home so your seatbelt doesn’t rub against your incisions.

Post-Surgery Restrictions

After surgery, the damage really doesn’t look like a whole lot – just three or four small (1 cm) incisions on your abdomen and near your belly button. But a hysterectomy is still a major surgery that comes with a few restrictions:

• 10 to 25 pound weight lifting restriction for about two weeks (or as specified by your doctor)
• No baths or swimming for 4 weeks
• No rigorous exercise for a couple/few weeks (or as specified by your doctor)
• No sex or vaginal toys for at least 4 months

Looking at a list like that can be a bit sobering, as it is surprising how long two weeks can feel when you can’t lift much more than a gallon of milk… and thus the importance of grocery shopping before surgery.

This weight restriction may also great affect your work, so be sure to have a chat with your employer if accommodations or light duty will be needed.

This also can come as a shock to those who are in relationships, so that’s definitely a conversation to have ahead of time when you’re preparing for your hysterectomy!

I ended up with three small incisions from the hysterectomy. Don’t mind the really long, lower incision — it’s from my DIEP flap surgery.

The Healing Process

Pain and Discomfort

More than likely you will be sent home with Percocet or some other strong pain killer. My advice is to take what you need to stay on top of the pain, but no more. If Advil or Tylenol work for you, all the better.

The pain feels like bad menstrual cramping, which is a cruel irony since the organ that causes such cramping is now gone. Additionally, you may have pain from air in your abdomen, which was used so doctors could see better during your procedure. However, this air plus the cramping sensation can be rather uncomfortable.

I had bad cramping pain for about three days, during which I took Percocet, especially at night to help me sleep (between a 4 and 6 out of 10 on the pain scale). After that, I still had cramping for about another week, but it was mild enough I didn’t take any medications (roughly a 2 or 3 out of 10 on the pain scale).

Percocet, like other heavy pain pills, can cause constipation. Seeing as you don’t want to add the pain of constipation to the mix, this is why I suggest only taking it as long as you need it. Stool softeners can help for the first few days, but if taken longer the stool softeners may make the gas pain worse.

Thanks to past experiences during cancer treatment, I now regularly take a serving of fiber powder in my morning coffee. I chose this route instead of stool softeners, and I didn’t notice any discomfort like that described from using stool softeners.

Work and Rest

Speaking of pain pills, it’s advised that you not drive if you’re taking Percocet, so this may be a factor in how soon you can return to work.

Of course, rest is huge while you’re healing! I suggest not making any plans whatsoever for at least a week until you know how fatigued you’ll be and what you’re up to doing. Some women have reported being able to go back to light work after a week or two, which I found to be the case for myself.

I do recommend walking around the house as you’re able. For one thing, walking will force the air in your abdomen to move and can provide relief from the gas pain, as well as help relieve constipation. Of course, walking will also decrease your potential risk for blood clots. While rest is important, it’s also important to not be too sedentary.

It’s also worth noting that you my have some blood spotting about six weeks out from surgery. If I did have any spotting, I didn’t notice it. But this is a common occurrence, so you may not want to throw away all of your pads and panty liners just yet.

Final Thoughts on How To Prepare for a Hysterectomy

As I mentioned towards the beginning, the healing process varies per person. Healing isn’t linear, and what may be a piece of cake for one person takes months for someone else.

When I was researching how to prepare for a hysterectomy, most of the blogs and stories I read were from women who had had children, but had not undergone cancer treatment. These women were also generally in their mid to late 40s. Perhaps my age helped me to heal faster, or perhaps it was just dumb luck. (If you’d like another perspective, this blog article was one of the more helpful I found.)

No matter what, be sure to give yourself the grace and patience to rest for a bit while you heal. Know that even if you still don’t feel quite right after six weeks, that’s not abnormal. You’ll probably have a checkup with your doctor around that point and you can check in with your concerns.

I wish you all the best as you prepare for your hysterectomy and heal!