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Hysterectomy and Hormone Replacement Therapy Solve Decades of Problems By Ronda Faries
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auren Nist of Bremen was only 34 when she had a hysterectomy in November 2018, followed by the removal of one remaining ovary in early 2021. While that seems young, the relief those surgeries brought followed a lifetime of gynecologic issues and associated chronic pain, as well as the joyous birth of a son and daughter with husband, Chris. “I think my hormones were off, maybe for decades of my life,” said Nist. “But I didn’t know to complain about it.” This revelation really hit home with Nist after the removal of her one remaining ovary and the start of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Now 36, she credits the use of implantable pellets for hormone replacement therapy – prescribed by Shannon Couvreur, DO, an OB/GYN with Tanner Healthcare for Women – with enabling her to feel and be her best as an adult. “I noticed a difference within a week after getting the first pellets,” said Nist, who didn’t like the idea of hormone creams because she feared they could inadvertently affect her children. “And I can easily tell when they wear out and it’s time get more implanted.” That timeframe for her is every 8 to 10 weeks. Nist happily ticked off a list of how the pellets
have helped and affected her: • • • • • • •
A higher energy level Better controlled ADHD More passion/libido in her marriage Better mental health Less anxiety and no more panic attacks Better able to build muscle mass Less hair loss and acne, and no extra facial hair
“I have no side effects to the pellets,” said Nist. “I did try a higher dose that increased my testosterone too much, so I had to change back.” She laughed as she explained that the temporary testosterone imbalance from the higher dose made her a little too aggressive. To further explain the remarkable changes Nist described, she said people really need to know and understand what she’s already been through to get to this point. Throughout her 20s, David Helton, MD, was her OB/GYN. Already suffering from endometriosis, Dr. Helton performed a diagnostic laparoscopy with D&C when Nist was in her late 20s, which helped, but didn’t completely alleviate her pain. By the time her son, Spencer, was born in November of 2014, Dr. Helton had stopped delivering babies, so Amy
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