A woman who had a hysterectomy, but kept her ovaries, does not have menopause right away. Because the uterus is removed, you no longer have periods and cannot get pregnant. However, your ovaries might still make hormones, so you might not have other signs of menopause. Later on, you might have natural menopause a year or two earlier than usually expected.

A woman who has both ovaries removed at the same time when the hysterectomy is done reaches menopause right away. Having both ovaries removed is called a bilateral oophorectomy. Women who have this operation no longer have periods and may have menopausal symptoms right away.