What is the difference between natural menopause and surgical menopause?

Natural menopause is the time of life that begins when your last menstrual period ends. It is part of the natural aging process and is caused by a decrease in the production of female hormones by your ovaries. One of these hormones, estrogen, has many important functions in the body. When estrogen levels decrease, you may begin to have menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats.

Surgical menopause happens when you experience a sudden loss of estrogen if your ovaries are removed during a hysterectomy. It can occur at any age if you have not already gone through natural menopause.

Here's what happens:

• Your body stops producing estrogen (the key female hormone) because your ovaries have been removed.
• You stop having your monthly period because your uterus and ovaries have been removed.
• You begin to experience menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats within days—sometimes hours—after your hysterectomy.
• Your bone loss increases, putting you at risk for osteoporosis. If you had a hysterectomy with removal of both ovaries at a young age, your bone loss and risk of osteoporosis are even higher.

If you have any questions or concerns about surgical menopause, talk to your doctor or healthcare provider.

To learn more about the role of hormones in your body and the effects of menopause, please view the Virtual Woman.

Which types of hysterectomy cause surgical menopause?

Not all types of hysterectomy will trigger surgical menopause. Take a look below to find out if the type of hysterectomy your doctor has recommended is likely to bring on surgical menopause.

Partial hysterectomy

• Ovaries are not removed.
• You will not experience surgical menopause, but you will undergo natural menopause later on.

Total hysterectomy

• Ovaries are not removed.
• You will not experience surgical menopause, but you will undergo natural menopause later on.

Total hysterectomy with salpingo-oophorectomy

• One or both of the ovaries is removed.
• One or both fallopian tubes is removed (salpingo-oophorectomy).
• If only one ovary is removed, you will not experience surgical menopause; however, you will undergo natural menopause later on.
• If both ovaries are removed, you will probably experience surgical menopause.

Radical (or Wertheim’s) hysterectomy

• One or both of the ovaries is removed.
• If only one ovary is removed, you will not experience surgical menopause; however, you will undergo natural menopause later on.
• If both ovaries are removed, you will probably experience surgical menopause.

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