PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SEXUAL CONSEQUENCES OF HYSTERECTOMIES

Comparison of Different Surgical Methods: The cardinal question of thi s prospective longitudinal study was whether different surgical method s of hysterectomy correlate with differences in adaptation and in resp ect of psychological as well as sexual consequences. A total of 83 pat ients were investigated immediately prior to surgery as well as 6 week s later. 61 resp. 58 patients participated in follow-up investigations 6 months and 1 year following surgery. Total hysterectomy was perform ed vaginally in 16 females, abdominally in 22 patients. 23 patients un derwent subtotal C.I.S.H. hysterectomy. 23 females indicated for myoma enucleation formed another group of this study. Besides several psych ological variables of potential influence such as personality characte ristics, coping, sexual attitudes and partner satisfaction, the study covered psychological as well as physical complaints, life satisfactio n and differential characteristics of sexual experiences and behaviour longitudinally. The results indicate that single subgroups differ fro m each other in several respects. There were no indications of differe nt psychological as well as sexual consequences depending on the surgi cal method. These findings support the view that consequences of hyste rectomies are more likely to be predicted an the basis of psychologica l traits that existed before the operation, rather than from a medico- technical point of view.