LA Times Examines Health Risks of, Alternatives to Hysterectomy

The LA Times on Monday examined the health risks of undergoing a hysterectomy and how many women's health experts increasingly are questioning the need for many of the 615,000 procedures that are performed annually in the U.S. The rate of hysterectomies performed in the U.S. decreased from 45.7 per 10,000 women in 2002 to 41.7 in 2003, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. More than 90% of hysterectomies performed in the U.S. are conducted because a woman has fibroids, endometriosis, abnormal bleeding, or a prolapsed or fallen uterus -- all conditions for which less-invasive surgery or nonsurgical treatments are available (Foreman, Los Angeles Times, 8/15). According to a study conducted by William Parker, a clinical professor at the University of California-Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, and colleagues and published in the Aug. 1 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology, more than half of the women who undergo hysterectomy each year in the U.S. also have their ovaries removed in order to eliminate their risk of developing ovarian cancer. However, the prophylactic removal of the ovaries -- which continue to produce small amounts of hormones even after a woman experiences menopause -- does not provide a health benefit, regardless of a woman's age at surgery, the study found. In addition, women who have their ovaries removed before age 65 might be at increased risk of heart disease because of a lack of estrogen in the body, Parker said. Overall, the younger a woman is when she has her ovaries removed, the more substantial the negative impact on her health and her chances of living to age 80 (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 8/2). Some health advocates suggest that women seek alternative treatments to hysterectomy, such as myomectomy, the surgical removal of fibroids without removing the uterus; uterine artery embolization, which involves inserting small plastic pellets into blood vessels to cut off blood supply; or laparoscopic surgery, in which surgery to remove ovarian tumors is performed through a keyhole incision (Foreman, Los Angeles Times, 8/15).


Los Angeles Times


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