For women going through a similar situation...

Question
Nine months ago, I had a total hysterectomy performed at my request, because of constant ‘flooding’ – and painful sex.During the operation the surgeon found endometriosis, fibroids and cysts to be the cause of the bleeding and pain during intercourse.Since the operation I have been taking HRT – first Livial, then Premarin 0.625 and now Premarin 1.25, plus 2.5mg of Andropatch. However my libido has not returned and I can now no longer orgasm. This is putting a strain on my relationship, and also making me feel depressed. Is this normal?Will I ever be able to enjoy a healthy sex life again? I am not depressed about the operation – merely that I can no longer enjoy sex. Can anything be done to remedy this?

Answer
Very sorry to hear about this.Just to clarify: it sounds as if you have had not only your uterus (womb) but also your ovaries removed. So it's perfectly reasonable that you are using HRT. Most women who've had this operation can continue to enjoy a good sex life. Generally, they can climax – though the orgasm often feels rather different. So, what is going wrong? I doubt if it's hormonal because you seem to be on a reasonable choice of HRT with Premarin 1.25mg. However, Andropatch skin patches are not normally given to women. They are really for men who aren’t producing enough male hormones from their testicles. But this doesn’t appear to have worked. All in all, I suspect that the problem is NOT hormonal. So I think what you need is to see (and be examined by) a doctor who is really experienced in women's sexual difficulties - preferably a member of the Institute of Psychosexual Medicine.