Hysterectomy sinful?

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lovedbyHim

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My dr has reccommended a hysterectomy to ease the symptoms I have been having due to fibroids. These symptoms are uncomfortable and inconvienent but not painful and are not life threatening. The fibroids will most likely increase in size and the symptoms may worsen (no way to predict this, but the fibroids have doubled in size over the course of a year). The fibroids MAY shrink when I go thru menopause but who knows how large they will be by then, or when menopause will be.

I am 45 and my husband is 59. We have a 13 yr old son. For whatever reason, God has not given us another child and I am not sure if it is something wrong with either of us. We just have been happy with our family and due to my husband’s age, have not felt infertile or anything.

I want to know if it is sinful to remove my womb due to some discomfort and inconvienent symptoms. As I said, I do not have cancer or anything that would make me HAVE to remove it to save my life. Is it selfish to remove what God gave me to have children because I am uncomfortable and bothered by these symptoms? I can’t predict what God has planned for me in relation to my family. I can say honestly if we did get pregnant right now, it would be a struggle financially now and as my husband got older and retired, even more so, so it would be a surprise, but a welcome one because I would not have an abortion, no matter when I got pregnant.

If something happened to my husband and son? Of course, I have no idea where God would take me. Would I get remarried AND pregnant before menopause set in? Unlikely. And who knows what condition my womb would be in my then. It may not support a pregnancy.

I am really struggling with this. I feel like If I have the surgery then I am taking God’s plan for me into my own hands…

thank you for taking the time to read this and reply
 
there are alternative, less drastic treatments for fibroids and endometriosis, try and find a doc who will explore them. at your age they are likely to do a complete hysterectomy, which means your risk for hear attack/stroke etc. will then be comparable to that of a man (much worse) as you lose almost all estrogen and hrt has its own problems. If you can hang tough until menopause the problem may go away (or not) but at least get a second opinion. No it is not wrong if it is to treat a medical condition and sterilization is the unintended side effect.

my symptoms were terrible, did not respond to other therapies, and anemia and other effects became life threatening so I had it done, and felt so much better instantly I wish I had it done younger, but have had hot flashes ever since that do not abate, and hrt had to be suspended due to other problems. wish I had been able to wait 5 more years until natural menopause. oh well.
 
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lovedbyHim:
I am really struggling with this. I feel like If I have the surgery then I am taking God’s plan for me into my own hands…

thank you for taking the time to read this and reply
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Please do seek a second opinion! There are treatments other than hysterectomy (some preserve the ability to have a baby, and some don’t).

I had this problem, too, and at an older age than you are now, I had an alternative procedure (loss of the ability to have a baby was an unintended side effect, but not relevant for me, since I’m single) – but my doctor would rather use less invasive procedures than major surgery, if at all possible.

Hysterectomy isn’t always necessary!
 
No, it would not be sinful to have a hysterectomy for medical reasons such as those you describe.

As others have stated, I would also encourage you to get a second opinion and discuss alternative treatments.
 
Thanks you for posting your concerns for me. I have had a 2nd opinion. The first dr. wanted to do this abdominally, the 2nd gave me another option on how to perform it… I don’t want to do one procedure that was an option instead of hysterectomy due to the health risks. The way the fibroids are situated, removal of the just the fibroids are not an option and treatments to decrease their size would be putting me thru early menopause (and then I wouldn’t have this worry would I :hmmm:?) Plus they would just grow back.

So I can deal with the symptoms and keep my womb. Or get rid of it so life’s not so messy. I feel confused and selfish. I am torn up inside because if I don’t do it and never have children again I will be able to accept it as God’s plan. But if I do it on my own accord- I’ll never know what was to have been. I don’t like the idea of being sterile. I know it does not lessen who I am as a person. But it just seems so sad. I don’t know how women who have never had children or were young when they had this done lived with it. It’s just sad. 😦
 
You will not be in a state of sin if it needs to be done. With that said I would still seek out alternate treatments if possible. There are no guarantees. You might be trading in one problem for another. I am 10 years younger than you are but I might face similar issues as I reach menopause. On one side of my family hysterectomies are the rule not the exception. I am hoping to beat those odds.

When I faced hysterectomy clear back at 22 I took it to the rosary. Our Lady knows the burden we bear. For some reason it was a comfort to me to know that She offered her womb entirely to the will of God. There was a good lesson in that for me. Young or older, it is still “not my will but Thine.”

My advice would probably bad. I am in the “tough it out so I can have more children” phase. You are in such a different place and my heart goes out to you. The ladies here with more years of wisdom will have more sound advice, but I wanted to let you know you are being prayed for.
 
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lovedbyHim:
I don’t know how women who have never had children or were young when they had this done lived with it. It’s just sad. 😦
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Hi I am new here and this route may be the one that I ahve to take. I have many medical problems. I have been married three wonderful years. We have NO children, but not b/c we haven’t tried. I have had 4 miscarriages and continue to live in pain. So if I decide that I want to live pain free to be able to even do my job (taking care of children) I have my own in home daycare, then it is what I have to do. Biological children are not an issue with us; my health is. We have already decided to adopt.
 
It should be clear that hysterectomy for the treatment of disease (even not life threating) is not sinful. If it is prudent or the best course of action in your particular case is a different matter that your post seems to suggest that you need to explore.

Certainly a second opinion is in order, preferably from a NFP only physician or one affiliated with the Pope Paul VI Institute popepaulvi.com/ . This would insure that your faith is protected by one who shares it.

As well, the counsel of a priest known for his piety, wisdom and fidelity would be valuble here as it seems that you are internally conflicted with the unfortunate and forseen outcome the decision, that being permanent sterility. This would not make the procedure immoral because it is an unintended side effect of a legitimate medical treatment, but it is important that you be at peace with this forseen effect.

I doubt that anyone would suggest that this is a case of sin but rather one of prudence, good judgement and peace. You are already exercising the first two virtures seeking the third and I am sure that you will find peace in whatever decision is best for you.
 
Daniel Kane:
It should be clear that hysterectomy for the treatment of disease (even not life threating) is not sinful. If it is prudent or the best course of action in your particular case is a different matter that your post seems to suggest that you need to explore.

Certainly a second opinion is in order, preferably from a NFP only physician or one affiliated with the Pope Paul VI Institute popepaulvi.com/ . This would insure that your faith is protected by one who shares it.

As well, the counsel of a priest known for his piety, wisdom and fidelity would be valuble here as it seems that you are internally conflicted with the unfortunate and forseen outcome the decision, that being permanent sterility. This would not make the procedure immoral because it is an unintended side effect of a legitimate medical treatment, but it is important that you be at peace with this forseen effect.

I doubt that anyone would suggest that this is a case of sin but rather one of prudence, good judgement and peace. You are already exercising the first two virtures seeking the third and I am sure that you will find peace in whatever decision is best for you.
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I think Daniel is giving good advice but there needs to be a further rhetorical question asked. And how you answer this question will lead to whether you gain peace in your decision.

If it was solely your and your spouses choice, would you like to have more kids? If the answer is yes you want more kids, it is clear that if you have the procedure, you are not making this decision for birth control motives and it clearly isn’t a sin. If the answer is no, you may be more open to this course of action (hysterectomy) because of your personal wishes to have no more kids and would effectively be substituting your wishes and precluding God’s will from being fulfilled. This is sinful.

This question is one that I’ve faced personally. When my wife was diagnosed w/ cancer, she had a hysterectomy. No problem I know from her perspective regardless of how she would answer the question. However, I know in my heart that I was relieved as our last child caused a very serious health issues for my wife regarding preclampsia and I didn’t want any more children and didn’t want to go thru the risks and trauma associated w/ the challenge. I felt guilt in my reaction to the news of her need to have the surgery and confessed my reaction as I know it wasn’t of God.
 
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Orionthehunter:
This question is one that I’ve faced personally. When my wife was diagnosed w/ cancer, she had a hysterectomy. No problem I know from her perspective regardless of how she would answer the question. However, I know in my heart that I was relieved as our last child caused a very serious health issues for my wife regarding preclampsia and I didn’t want any more children and didn’t want to go thru the risks and trauma associated w/ the challenge. I felt guilt in my reaction to the news of her need to have the surgery and confessed my reaction as I know it wasn’t of God.
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On the other hand one could have looked upon this as a blessing from the Lord.

That being said, my wife, now 67, had an ovary out 15 years ago, but on the advice of her Catholic doctor declined a radical hysterectomy. The ovary had a cyst the size of a large grapefruit which turned out to be benign. This year she had a radical hysterectomy which removed all of the other plumbing in addition to a very viralent form of uterine cancer. At least they think they got it all. My wife’s family has a history of cancer and I can’t help but believe that knowing that risk if it would not have been better to get the job done 15 years ago. My daughter is also a cancer survivor at age 40 and their oncologist has said that with their particular family history they should have genetic testing to see if they are carriers of some kind of gene. If yes, then all our children including the boys, and her living family members should keep an especially wary eye out for any early symptoms of cancer. What I am saying is that its not just fertility and hot flashes that one needs to be concerned about, but also family history.
 
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