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Following the birth of her daughter, Lorie Pester had her uterus removed to finally put endometriosis behind her. If this radical solution allows him to live again today, it is not always a guarantee, as Dr. Erick Petit explains.
She does not regret her hysterectomy, quite the contrary. Lorie Pester, singer and actress confided in May that she had her uterus removed following the birth of her daughter Nina in September 2020. In an interview given to the magazine Gala, a few months later, she reconsiders the benefits, in her case, of this intervention.
Pains that became stronger after childbirth
Lorie Pester has suffered for many years from endometriosis, this disease in which the uterine tissue grows outside the uterine cavity, causing in particular intense pain, especially during menstruation. Despite a pregnancy that gave her a few months of respite, the actress could no longer bear her condition: “After Nina was born, (the pain) reverberated in my legs, in my back. I was so tired that I passed out. I had a petanque ball in my stomach…“ she explains in Gala. Hysterectomy then arrived as a solution through a psychologist and work on herself:
“She told me that this organ is too sacred because it only serves one thing: to have children. And anyway, I had no choice, I was in too much pain”, she continues before concluding “Since the ablation, I live again”.
An intervention that is not systematic
If the hysterectomy seems to have relieved Lorie Pester, the radical intervention is however not recommended for all patients, as explained to us by Dr. Erick Petit, radiologist and specialist in endometriosis contacted by Doctissimo.
“It is rather the solution of last resort, for patients who suffer from painful and abundant periods, and on whom no hormonal treatment works. But you have to know that it’s not a magic wand, that it doesn’t solve everything. We have already seen resumptions on the ovary for example. Hysterectomy should not be considered as a simple alternative”.
The choice is offered in certain cases only and is not systematic, specifies the doctor. It generally concerns:
- Women over 40;
- Who already have a child;
- Who bleed profusely, with severe pain despite hormonal treatments;
- Who, moreover, suffer many side effects from these treatments.
What a hysterectomy does not fix
Of course, removing the uterus will solve the problems of menstruation, the pain that goes with it and excessive flow, sometimes permanent. But Dr. Petit points out that other ailments of endometriosis can persist despite everything:
“In many cases, endometriosis is also accompanied by neuropathic pain, inflammation of the nerves, which persists, uterus or not. On the other hand, the presence of other lesions around the uterus, can complicate intervention, and incur post-operative complications with side effects, on the innervation of the bladder for example, or the digestive tract… Before an intervention, each woman must be made aware that hysterectomy does not solve everything” .
Other alternatives against endometriosis
For the expert, the removal of the uterus is therefore not the only answer to suffering. “There is a multitude of possible hormonal treatments, which, if they are well conducted, end up overcoming the suffering. Not to mention all the paramedical techniques that can manage symptoms that are not related to the uterus.”
But if a woman affected by endometriosis, does not experience neuropathic pain, and suffers too much from her period, then yes, hysterectomy can have its place, he concludes.