Recovering from ovarian cancer surgery

Your recovery after ovarian cancer surgery will take time. You will need to rest for the first few weeks. Your surgeon will tell you when you can drive again. 

How long does it take to recover?

It takes time to recover physically and emotionally from surgery.

When you go home from hospital, you will need to rest and take it very easy. Try to take short walks each day. The hospital will give you exercises to do. 

You can gradually build up the activity that you would normally do. After 6 to 12 weeks you are more or less back to normal. You will probably still get tired very easily. You might have other cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy. This may slow your recovery down. 

Do talk to your healthcare team if you have any questions or concerns about how much activity you should be doing.

Recovering emotionally

It takes time to come to terms with a cancer diagnosis. Major surgery can also make you feel very vulnerable. You are likely to feel weak at first and to get tired very easily.

You may feel quite down and tearful. This is a completely normal reaction to what has happened to you. Most people who have a hysterectomy for cancer will feel the same.

Support

Your family and friends will need to be understanding and supportive while you come to terms with what has happened to you. Help your family and friends by letting them know if you would like to talk about what’s happening and how you feel.

Give yourself time. If you feel your recovery is taking longer than it should, you can talk to your GP or healthcare team. They can help you find a counsellor or support group for people who have been through a similar experience.

Talking to someone outside your circle of family and friends about how you are feeling can help you to feel better.

Driving

Before you go home from the hospital, talk to your surgeon about when you can start driving again.

You can usually start driving around 6 weeks after your surgery. But don't feel you should be back to normal if you don't feel that you are. Some women feel very tired and have difficulty concentrating for a couple of months after surgery.

You may also be having other cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy. This may slow your recovery down. See how you feel and take things at your own pace.

Check your car insurance policy before you drive. Some insurance companies will not cover drivers for a number of weeks after surgery.

Sudden menopause

You will have an early menopause if you have both your ovaries removed. 

The symptoms of menopause due to cancer treatment are the same as those of a natural menopause. You might have:

• hot flushes and sweating
• vaginal dryness
• low mood or depression
• loss of confidence and self esteem
• tiredness
• thinning bones
• loss of interest in sex

These menopausal symptoms may be quite intense. Because your ovaries have been suddenly removed, your hormone levels fall quite quickly. The effects can go on for a few months or years. It is impossible to predict how long you will have these symptoms.

After the menopause, your bones may become thinner and more fragile. Your doctor may encourage you to have plenty of calcium and vitamin D in your diet. Or they may suggest taking vitamin D and calcium supplements to help.

Some women find menopausal symptoms very difficult to cope with. If you do, you can talk to your healthcare team. Some women can take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for the symptoms of early menopause. Your doctor will discuss the possible risks and benefits with you first. 

Your sex life

Sex can feel different after ovarian cancer surgery. Your vagina may be a bit shorter. But it is naturally very stretchy so this shouldn't make too much difference to you and your partner.

Having your womb and cervix removed means that you will have stitches at the top of your vagina. You shouldn't have sex until these have healed. This is usually around 6 – 12 weeks after surgery.

You may find that you don't feel ready to start being sexually active again that soon. It takes many women much longer than that. You may still have a bit of discomfort, so prefer to wait a bit longer.

You will need to recover emotionally as well as physically. You may feel that your womb was an important part of your body. Having had it taken away can affect how you feel about yourself sexually.

You will no longer be able to become pregnant. And you won't have any more periods. Even if you were past your menopause before the surgery, losing your womb can be a very emotional experience. Many women find this more of a shock than they expected.