eMedicineLive

Almost 600,000 women in the U.S. undergo hysterectomy each year to get rid of problems like fibroids and unusually heavy periods. In most of these women, the surgeons try to preserve one or both the ovaries as removing the ovaries can impair the production of female hormones. This can lead to osteoporosis, heart diseases and many other conditions. However, a new study has found that despite preserving the ovaries, hysterectomy in young women may lead to an early menopause.

 

 The research, published in the journal “Obstetrics and Gynecology” compares the effect of hormones in women who had hysterectomy compared to women who did not undergo the operation. The researchers, led by Dr. Patricia G. Moorman, an associate professor in the Department of Community and Family Medicine at Duke University, followed up around 900 women, enrolled at Duke University Medical Center and Durham Regional Hospital, for a period of five years. All the women were in the age group of 30 to 47 years. Half of these women had undergone hysterectomy wherein at least one of the ovaries had been preserved, while the other half had their uterus intact.

 

The researchers observed that almost 14.8 percent of women who had undergone hysterectomy suffered from an early menopause despite the preservation of ovaries. Compared to this, only 8 percent of women who had their uterus intact underwent early menopause. As compared to the risk involved when both the ovaries were preserved, the risk of early menopause was higher when one ovary was removed along with the uterus. Moreover, the women who underwent hysterectomy developed menopause about two years earlier. 

 

The reason behind the early menopause in women undergoing hysterectomy is still not very clear. According to some scientists, it may be due to damage in the blood supply of the ovaries during the surgery. Others believe that it could be the end result of the disease process which necessitated hysterectomy. Whatever may be the reason, no woman would like to undergo an early menopause because of its detrimental effects on the health. Therefore, keeping in mind the results derived from this study, women may like to explore other modalities of treatment before opting for hysterectomy.

 

References:

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