In 2024, I had a hysterectomy I didn't see coming.

I kept one ovary. I was told that meant I shouldn't go into menopause.

But my body had a different story.

The strategies that had worked for me for more than a decade simply stopped working. My body felt unfamiliar, almost overnight.

And I'm a nurse practitioner. I knew the textbook. I understood menopause.

It still caught me off guard.

If you're here, maybe you know that feeling too.

Maybe menopause came earlier than you expected. Maybe your body changed quickly after a hysterectomy, even though you kept one or both ovaries. Maybe you've been told everything should be fine, yet you know something has changed.

This is what I wish someone had sat down and explained to me.

A hysterectomy doesn't always mean surgical menopause

There are a few terms worth separating (Office on Women's Health).

Premature menopause occurs before age 40.

Early menopause occurs between ages 40 and 45.

Surgical menopause specifically refers to meno...