The uterus is often considered an indispensable organ in a woman’s life as a source of strength, a symbol of youth and the embodiment of feminine charm, and its value as a sign of a healthy and perfect organism is self-evident. However, the uterus is not absolutely indispensable for the physiological activity of sexual life. Especially when it comes to diseases that require hysterectomy, such as uterine fibroids, severe uterine bleeding, uterine malignancy, ovarian malignancy, etc., hysterectomy can do more good than harm to your health. Do not delay the surgery and delay your condition because of misconceptions. Some women have a lot of concerns about hysterectomy, mainly about whether it will affect their sex life after surgery? Especially for young patients, their husbands are young and strong, they often have doubts and are ashamed to talk about it, fearing that it will affect the couple’s relationship. Here we can tell you that the mainstream view of modern medicine is that the impact of hysterectomy on sex life is not obvious. First of all, let’s learn about the structure and function of female reproductive organs. The female reproductive organs include the external and internal genitalia. The external genitalia include the mons pubis, clitoris, labia majora, labia minora and vaginal vestibule, while the internal genitalia include the vagina, uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes. The clitoris is located at the tip between the labia minora. Similar to the spongy body of the male penis, the head of the clitoris is richly distributed with nerve endings, is extremely sensitive, has erectile properties, and is the most intense organ of sexual pleasure. There is a pair of vestibular bulbs about 1 to 1.5 cm below the surface of the vaginal entrance, which can be fully engorged and swollen, among other responses. The vestibular bulbs semi-encircle the vestibule and vaginal entrance, which can increase the friction effect during intercourse and enhance sexual pleasure for both spouses. There is a pair of vestibular glands under the posterior part of the labia majora, one on each side, and the glandular ducts open in the groove between the labia minora and the hymen at the back of the vestibule, which secrete mucus during sexual excitement and play a role in lubrication. The vaginal opening is the gateway to the vagina and is located in the center of the vestibule. The vagina is an organ used for sexual intercourse and is about 7 to 10 cm long. The deep part of the vagina is connected to the cervix, forming the vaginal vault. Above the cervix (in the pelvic cavity) is the body of the uterus, which is connected to the ovarian fallopian tubes on both sides. If a total hysterectomy is required due to a gynecological disease, it is in this part of the vault that the vaginal wall is cut open. The operation can be performed either through the abdomen or through the vagina to remove the uterus. For malignant disease, if the lesion has not infiltrated the vagina, the end of the uterus is usually removed 2 cm during surgery. After the hysterectomy, the anterior and posterior walls at the top of the vagina are sutured together. In this way, the length of the vagina is shorter than before the surgery, but because it has many folds and stretches, its space and length can change with the length of the penis to suit the needs of sexual life. The most important of the internal genitalia is the ovaries, which have two main functions, namely ovulation and secretion of sex hormones, which maintain female characteristics and sexual desire. Women’s sexually sensitive areas are mainly in the clitoris, labia minora, vestibule, lower 1/3 of the vagina, lips of the mouth, breasts, inner thighs, etc. The uterus is not a sexually sensitive area, but only a cradle for the production of menstruation and the conception of a fetus. Hysterectomy with preservation of the ovaries does not affect the normal function of the ovaries and naturally does not affect female characteristics or sexual desire, but only causes menopause and no further fertility. If one ovary is removed, the function of the other ovary can be compensated and does not affect sexual characteristics. For people who have both ovaries removed due to cancer, they may experience menopausal symptoms such as breast atrophy, vaginal dryness, loss of libido, and unpleasant intercourse due to the loss of the main source of female hormones. The doctor will give sex hormone medication as replacement therapy depending on the situation. Patients who need to have their uterus removed are suffering from some kind of gynecological disease before surgery, often accompanied by abdominal pain, anemia and other symptoms. The long-term torture of these diseases affects their emotions, and even the fear of sex can aggravate their condition. If the hysterectomy is performed, the pain will disappear, the mental stress will be cleared and the psychological worries will disappear. Sexual function and physical health and quality of life are improved, and some women derive greater pleasure from sex because they no longer fear pregnancy, so that after surgery, many women have an increased libido instead, and the comfort of intercourse is enhanced. Researchers at a U.S. university surveyed some women who had hysterectomies and found that the number of women who had sex at least five times a month increased by 10 percent in the first year after surgery, and 72 percent reported having orgasms. This compares with 63% before the surgery. In the second year after surgery, the percentage of women who experienced pain during intercourse decreased from 40% before surgery to 15%. This material also shows that hysterectomy has improved the quality of sexual life to some extent. To add a little knowledge here, depending on the extent of the operation, hysterectomy can be divided into total hysterectomy and subtotal hysterectomy with preservation of the cervix. Due to the special structure of the cervix, total hysterectomy may have an impact on the quality of a woman’s orgasm. The cervix is located at the tip of the vagina and secretes mucus that serves as a lubricant before ovulation and during sexual arousal. Some nerves in the pelvis surround the cervix, called the utero-vaginal plexus, and removal of the cervix may result in destruction of the plexus. Changes in the structure of the pelvic floor after hysterectomy, damage to the innervation of the bowel, bladder and these areas, damage to the innervation of the upper vagina can interfere with the secretion of mucus from the cervix, and scar contracture of the vaginal stump, which limits expansion above it, can reduce sexual satisfaction. It has also been found that during normal sex, penile pressure on the cervix and uterus causes uterine contractions and increased peritoneal stimulation, which are important for women to experience orgasm. Hysterectomy, on the other hand, affects the pelvic autonomic pressure mechanism that controls a woman’s sexual arousal response, which may affect the vaginal response to post-sexual stimulation engorgement and thus affect a woman’s sexual arousal. Some foreign studies have analyzed the effects of transvaginal, transabdominal and laparoscopic hysterectomy on sexual function and concluded that vaginal and laparoscopic hysterectomy are less detrimental to women’s sexual function than transabdominal surgery. Another part of the study that examined the effect of surgical modality on sexual function found that those women who retained their cervix had higher sexual satisfaction and higher frequency of intercourse and orgasm. It is important to note that the husband’s attitude toward hysterectomy is also important. Some husbands listen to rumors and do not agree to total hysterectomy in spite of the pain of their wives’ illness, or they are sullen and do not care for their wives after the surgery, which can affect the couple’s relationship. It is best for both sides to talk to the doctor before the surgery to understand the necessity of the surgery and the method of surgery, as well as the changes in various aspects after the surgery, to lift the mental shackles and dispel the worries of the surgery, which is good for both spouses. Therefore, women suffering from certain gynecological diseases that require hysterectomy, please throw away these unnecessary worries and worries, and happily welcome the surgery treatment! Points to note when having sex after hysterectomy: 1. You can’t have sex too early after surgery. In general, sex should be resumed only after at least 2 to 3 months of rest, after the top wound of the vagina has healed and after the gynecological examination is completely normal. 2. When having sex after surgery, the vulva and vagina are often not lubricated enough due to nervousness, so you can use lubricant appropriately. If you find painful intercourse, bleeding during intercourse or dirty discharge, you should suspend sex life and go to hospital for examination and take appropriate treatment measures as soon as possible. 3.After cervical cancer surgery, about 1/3 of the vagina will be removed. When having sex after surgery, you should be cautious and should not be too intense and rough. 4. Husband should help his wife to build up her self-confidence and eliminate her psychological pressure, and the joint efforts of husband and wife are very important.