Initially I found this book to answer all my questions and was extremely happy with what I was reading.

I was particularly pleased with the chapters detailing exactly what would happen before and after surgery to my body and at the hospital. This book is a worthwhile purchase just to know the particulars of surgery and actual procedures pre-op and during surgery. Also, the author mentions many possible complications and explains them clearly. I didn't find this information anywhere else in such detail, and I appreciate knowing what to expect. I found this to be the best part of the book and proved to be true to my experience.

However, Streicher's information about hormone replacement therapy is questionable . There is one comment that is blatantly false. She is reiterating what was taught in med school and what some MDs still believe to be true, but overwhelming evidence shows that this old belief is false. Old beliefs die hard. On p. 339, she states "The sole purpose of adding progesterone is to protect the lining of the uterus from developing uterine cancer. If the uterus has been removed, there is no reason to take progesterone. This makes replacement a whole lot easier since it's the progesterone that causes the bloating, depression, bleeding, and negative effects on lipids and cholesterol. In other words, progesterone is the bad guy for most women, and women who don't have a uterus don't need to take it."

After reading this, I knew all I'd read up to that point I had to take with a grain of salt. It's now becoming understood that all the hormone work synergystically, that they are all needed in some combination to keep the body in balance, that a hormone, such as progesterone, works in harmony with other hormones, namely estrogen, on a variety of organs and within the complicated systems in our bodies, not just on one specific organ. Streicher's old way of thinking is dismaying.

She's also over the top with the reasons why synthetic hormones are THE way to go, that estrogen has gotten a bad rap, that it doesn't cause weight gain, headaches...what - did all these women get together after taking estrogen and agree to all lie about the same things just to annoy their doctors?

In addition, she is clearly uncomfortable with alternative methods of alleviating menopausal symptoms, evidenced in the section titled, "Herbs, Spices, and Wishful Thinking." Although she touches on the subject of currently popular alternative therapies such as black cohosh and dong quai, she clearly shows her displeasure of alternative therapies. This statement shows her very conventional approach to medicine: p. 352 - "Since these products are neither food nor drug, FDA approval is not necessary and manufactuures are not held responsible for safety or efficacy. The only ones who consistently benefit are the companies that sell the products." Her comfort zone appears to be solely within the scientific community and anything that deviates into the new appears to be out of her knowledge base, and one she's not interested in or perhaps comfortable exploring. Certainly, she's entitled to approach medicine the way that brings her the most comfort, but I believe she's doling out a bit of misinformation here, and the reader needs to read and sift information carefully.

Finally, I was irritated when she stated with conviction that fibroids weigh very little despite a woman's hope that she'll lose weight with their removal. On page 251, Streicher writes, "What about those huge fibroids? Didn't they weigh at least 10 pounds? Sorry. Fibroids are bulky, but they are not heavy. Even removal of really huge fibroids results in no more than a two-pound weight loss. You may go down a pants size or two, but the scale will barely quiver."

What can I say? My fibroid uterus weighed 1415 grams: 3.1 pounds. That's a good bit more weight than Streicher says even really huge fibroids can weigh. What were mine if not really huge?

I kept everything but my uterus (and fibroids), kept my cervix, tubes, and ovaries and only my uterus was removed. The normal uterus weighs about 4 ounces. Due to the number and size of the fibroids, my uterus was the size of a 24 week pregnancy. I would say that my fibroids could be described as "really huge."

Still, for a good portion of the book and with good discerning skills, I feel the book is worth a read, particularly for the details about day of surgery, day after, possible complications, a great chapter on exactly what you can do exercise-wise after surgery, and sex after surgery.

For her obvious bias about the raging benefits of synthetic estrogen and for her misinformation about hormones and density of fibroids, I give the book only 3 stars. Frankly, I don't know what to believe of what she's written, and now I'm going to look a lot more closely at her other statements. She writes with great confidence and conviction, very absolute.

As Streicher says on a different topic, p. 352, "The bottom line is, 'Let the buyer beware.'"

I bought this guide post surgery since the prodedure was my only option for my particular problem, but it was still very helpful. It answered alot of my questions about hormones, recovery etc. It covers alot about the surgery and the various types. I also like that the author just tells like it is, and covers all subjects candidly.

The only reason I rated it 4 stars, is that I thought it could have gone more into recovery into much more detail.

If you can't decide about this book, my advice is to go ahead and get it....It really is a great guide.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer last March. I had the tumor removed and was lucky not to have chemotherapy or radiation. However, because there was DCIS throughout both of my breasts, I will need to have a bilateral mastectomy w/reconstructive surgery. Since my breast cancer is hormone-receptive, I am also having a hysterectomy as a preventative measure to avoid future cancer. I have been getting conflicting advice from all of my doctors as to whether or not I should have just my ovaries removed or the uterus/cervix, too. I bought this book to learn all about the options, the risks and the side effects of going into surgical menopause. I found it to be extremely informative. Dr. Streicher begins the book with interesting facts exploring the history of early treatments and the development of the hysterectomy. As I am only 43, I really wanted to know as much as possible before plunging into this. This book helped me weigh the pros and cons of various surgical techniques and allowed me to make the best choice for myself. I read the book before consulting with a surgeon and because I had learned so much, I felt competent discussing options and procedures. After spending the last few months educating myself about breast cancer, it was nice to have one good resource to turn to for hysterectomy. Dr. Streicher spells it out clearly and thoroughly with a soft sense of humor to boot! I would recommend this book to anyone who is thinking about or getting ready to face a hysterectomy.

I found this book to be very comprehensive, easy to understand and an excellent resource before and after surgery. I would recommend it to any woman considering hysterectomy.

This book would make a nice tool if you have lots of time and choices to make regarding your hysterectomy. I found it a big mundane. I did not pick this book up more than once for information.