Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Surgical menopause: what happens overnight | CION Cancer Clinics
Surgical menopause is the menopause that begins when both ovaries are removed before your periods have stopped naturally. Your main supply of oestrogen stops within a day or so, instead of fading over several years. Hot flushes, night sweats, poor sleep and mood changes can start within days. Many of these can be eased, and the right options depend on why you had surgery. This page explains what happens and what helps. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
MI
Medically reviewed by Dr. Mohammed ImaduddinConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS, MS (General Surgery), MCh (Surgical Oncology) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
17+specialists on panel
15,000+patients treated
35+centres across Telangana & AP
4.8★ / 800+Google rating
On this page
- What is surgical menopause?
- What happens in the days, weeks and months after surgery?
- Which parts of the body does it affect?
- How does surgical menopause compare with natural menopause?
- What do families often believe about surgical menopause?
- What can help, and who does each option not suit?
- What do the words your doctor uses mean?
- Common questions about surgical menopause
The short answer
What is surgical menopause?
Surgical menopause is the menopause that starts when both your ovaries are removed before your periods have stopped on their own. The ovaries are the body's main source of oestrogen before menopause, so hormone levels fall within a day or so of surgery.
Why it can feel stronger than natural menopause
In natural menopause, the ovaries slow down over several years and the body adjusts gradually. After surgery there is no gradual slope. The drop is sudden, so symptoms such as hot flushes often start sooner and can feel more intense. The ovaries also make small amounts of testosterone, which affects energy and sex drive, and that stops too.
Who it does not apply to
If one ovary is kept, menopause does not start at surgery, because one ovary usually makes enough hormone. If you had already reached menopause, removing the ovaries changes very little. Removing only the womb stops periods but does not cause menopause, as long as the ovaries stay.
Why it matters more at a younger age
When menopause comes early, the body spends more years without oestrogen. Over time that affects the bones and the heart, which is why doctors pay close attention to women who have both ovaries removed well before the usual age of menopause.
This page describes common effects. It cannot tell you how your own body will respond, which varies a great deal.Over time
What happens in the days, weeks and months after surgery?
-
The first few days
You are recovering from the operation itself, and hormone levels are already falling. Some women notice hot flushes or sweats while still in hospital. Others notice nothing yet.
-
The first weeks
Hot flushes and night sweats often become clearer, and sleep may be broken. Mood can swing, and it is not always easy to separate this from the stress of surgery and diagnosis.
-
The first months
Vaginal dryness, discomfort during sex, lower sex drive and needing to pass urine more often can appear. Joint aches, poor concentration and tiredness are also common.
-
The longer term
Without oestrogen, bones slowly thin and some of the protection oestrogen gives the heart is lost. These changes cause no symptoms at first, so they need checking rather than waiting for signs.
-
At any stage
For many women symptoms ease with time, but not for all. Ask for help whenever they affect your life. You do not need to wait until they feel unbearable.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistWhere it is felt
Which parts of the body does it affect?
Oestrogen acts in many places. That is why the effects of surgical menopause reach well beyond hot flushes.
Temperature control
Hot flushes and night sweats are the most familiar effect. They come from the part of the brain that controls body temperature reacting to low oestrogen.
Sleep, mood and memory
Broken sleep, low mood, anxiety and trouble concentrating are common. Some of this comes from the hormones, and some from night sweats keeping you awake.
Vagina and bladder
The tissues become thinner and drier. Sex can be uncomfortable, and urine infections or urgency can become more frequent. Local treatments usually help.
Bones
Oestrogen helps keep bones strong. After early surgical menopause, bone thinning speeds up, raising the chance of fractures later in life.
Often checked with
- A bone density scan
- A vitamin D blood test
- Questions about diet, exercise and falls
Heart and blood vessels
Early loss of oestrogen can raise heart risk over the years, so blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar are worth checking regularly.
Side by side
How does surgical menopause compare with natural menopause?
Natural menopause
Surgical menopause
Hormones fall gradually over several years
Hormones fall within a day or so of surgery
Symptoms build slowly
Symptoms can start within days and feel stronger
The ovaries keep making small amounts of testosterone
That testosterone supply stops as well
Timing cannot be planned
Symptom relief can be discussed before the date
Leave a number, we will call you
One field. No form to fill in, and no charge for the call.
Commonly believed
What do families often believe about surgical menopause?
"It is just hot flushes. She will get used to
it."
Surgical menopause affects sleep, mood, the vagina and bladder, bones and heart. Some effects cause no symptoms but still matter over the years. Getting used to it is not the only option; many effects can be treated.
"Hormone replacement is always dangerous."
For many women who lose both ovaries early and have not had a hormone-sensitive cancer, hormone replacement until around the usual age of menopause is generally considered to protect the bones and heart. It is not right for everyone, which is why the question belongs with your own doctor.
"After cancer, nothing can be done about the
symptoms."
When hormone replacement is not advised, there are non-hormone medicines, vaginal moisturisers, talking therapies and practical changes that ease symptoms. The options are narrower, not absent.
"Mood changes mean she is not coping."
Low mood and irritability after surgical menopause are partly driven by the sudden hormone change. They are not a weakness. Mentioning them to the doctor is as reasonable as mentioning pain.
Treatment options
What can help, and who does each option not suit?
Treatment depends mainly on why your ovaries were removed. Talk about it before surgery if you can, so a plan is ready when symptoms start.
Hormone replacement therapy
Hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, replaces the oestrogen your ovaries used to make. It usually eases flushes, sweats and dryness, and helps protect the bones. It is generally not advised after a hormone-sensitive breast cancer, and needs careful thought after some womb and ovarian cancers. If your womb has been kept, a second hormone is usually added to protect its lining.
Options without hormones
Some non-hormone medicines can reduce hot flushes. Vaginal moisturisers and lubricants help dryness, and a vaginal oestrogen cream is sometimes possible even when tablets are not. Cognitive behavioural therapy, a structured talking therapy, can help with flushes and sleep.
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you whether HRT is safe for you, which medicine to try, or how long symptoms will last. Never start, stop or change a hormone or medicine on your own. Ask the doctor who knows your history.
If symptoms are affecting your sleep, work or relationships, call the helpline and ask to be put in touch with the right doctor.Words you will hear
What do the words your doctor uses mean?
- Oestrogen
- The main female hormone made by the ovaries before menopause.
- HRT
- Hormone replacement therapy. Medicine that replaces hormones the ovaries no longer make.
- Early or premature menopause
- Menopause that happens earlier than usual, whether naturally or after surgery.
- Vasomotor symptoms
- The medical name for hot flushes and night sweats.
- Genitourinary symptoms
- Dryness, soreness and bladder changes caused by low oestrogen.
- DEXA scan
- A low-dose X-ray that measures how dense the bones are.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about surgical menopause
How soon after surgery does menopause start?
Hormone levels start to fall within a day or so of both ovaries being removed. Some women notice hot flushes or sweats while still in hospital; for others they build over the first weeks. Everyone is different, so do not worry if your pattern does not match someone else's.
Will I have surgical menopause if one ovary is left?
Usually not. One healthy ovary normally makes enough hormones to keep periods and hormone levels going. Menopause may still come a little earlier than it otherwise would, but it is gradual. Surgical menopause means the sudden change that follows removal of both ovaries.
Does a hysterectomy cause surgical menopause?
Only if the ovaries are removed as well. Removing the womb alone stops periods, but the ovaries keep making hormones, so there is no sudden menopause. Check your consent form for bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy or BSO, which mean both ovaries are being removed.
Can I start HRT straight after surgery?
For some women HRT is started soon after surgery, and for others it is not advised at all. It depends on why the ovaries were removed, whether you have had a hormone-sensitive cancer, and your other health conditions. Discuss it with your surgeon before the operation, so the plan is ready.
How long do the symptoms last?
It varies widely. For many women hot flushes ease over time, but some have them for years. Vaginal dryness tends to continue unless treated. Bone and heart changes carry on quietly. Ask for help whenever symptoms affect your daily life, rather than waiting for them to pass.
Is it safe to take HRT after breast cancer?
HRT is generally not advised after a hormone-sensitive breast cancer, because it may raise the chance of the cancer coming back. Non-hormone options are used instead. This is a decision for your oncologist, and not something to start or stop on your own.
Will surgical menopause change my weight?
Many women notice weight gain, especially around the waist, after menopause. Hormone changes, less activity during recovery and poor sleep all play a part. Regular movement, balanced meals and good sleep help. Ask for your blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol to be checked.
How do I explain this to my family?
It can help to say simply that removing both ovaries has brought menopause on overnight, and that mood, sleep and energy may change for a while. Sharing a page like this can help. Family understanding makes a real difference, and counselling is available if conversations at home feel hard.
Meet the Specialists
17+ senior cancer specialists. One panel for your case.
Trained at AIIMS, Tata Memorial, and leading international centres. Combined 150+ years of experience. Every complex case is reviewed by 3+ of them — together.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vinay Mamidala
MBBS, MS(General Surgery), M.Ch(Surgical Oncology), FMAS, FARIS(Ongoing)
Surgical Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Hematologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vajja Sandeep Kumar
MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Surgical Oncology), FALS Oncology
Surgical Oncologist
Want a specific doctor for your case? Mention them when booking.
Book Free ConsultationBook an appointment with our specialist
Share your name and number — we'll call you back within 30 minutes to schedule your consultation.
Sources
- NHS — Early menopause
- NHS — Menopause
- NICE — Menopause: identification and management (NG23)
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Cancer information and support
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Hot Flushes and Night Sweats After Ovary RemovalWhat eases the most familiar symptomCan You Take HRT After Ovary Removal for Cancer?Who hormone replacement suits and who it does notBone Health After Surgical MenopauseProtecting bones after early loss of oestrogenMood and Memory After Surgical MenopauseLow mood, anxiety and concentrationHeart Health After Early Ovary RemovalWhat to check in the years after
Talk to us
Struggling with symptoms after surgery?
Tell us what surgery you had and what you are noticing, and we will help you reach the right doctor. One helpline serves every CION centre.