Removing the ovaries with a hysterectomy is common. In fact, of the 600,000 hysterectomies performed every year, half of them include the removal of the ovaries - the reason behind it being cited as cancer prevention (of the ovaries).
The fact is that our ovaries are important to our health - even when we are beyond child-bearing age. They have been linked to heart attack prevention, lessening risks of stroke and even dementia.
A recent WedMD story found that "researchers concluded that there is an "urgent need" for appropriately designed trials to determine if ovary removal is justifiable for all women who have hysterectomies.
For women at high risk of ovarian cancer, including those with a strong family history of the disease and those with a genetic predisposition to get the cancer, the benefits of ovary removal are clear, says UCLA professor of obstetrics and gynecology William H. Parker, MD.
But for the vast majority of women who don't have these risks, removal of the ovaries during hysterectomy may not be justified, he says.
Parker's own 2005 study of hysterectomy patients between the ages of 40 and 80 with an average risk for ovarian cancer found no survival benefit associated with ovary removal at any age, and a survival disadvantage associated with the practice up until the age of 65."
Source: http://women.webmd.com/news/20080718/hys...
Even though many women are put on drugs that imitate ovary function, it is not as good as having the ovaries themselves.
And women need to make sure their risk of ovarian cancer is as high or higher as their risk of heart disease. Since heart disease is the biggest killer of women, many could find that ovarian removal may not be worth the risk.
Tell Us
Did you have a hysterectomy with ovary removal? Or did you keep your ovaries? Are you happy with your decision? Were you aware of the important functions of ovaries, even after child bearing age?
Hi Susan
I recently interviewed UCLA professor of obstetrics and gynecology William H. Parker, MD and he told me most hysterectomies are unnecessary.
That video is being edited and I hope to have it live soon.
-Todd
Posted: Mon., July 21, 2008, 12:11 pm
Thanks Todd
Some doctors seem to think that the removal of certain body parts or organs is akin to the removal of wisdom teeth. "Well, you don't really need 'em anyway..." and they, of all people, should know better.
Looking forward to the video.
Posted: Mon., July 21, 2008, 12:17 pm
The importance of the female organs
For women to choose whether they will consent to removal of their ovaries they need to be informed about the functions of the ovaries and the consequences of their removal.
It is the responsibility of the doctor to inform women that their ovaries are their gonads, and that the medically correct word for removal of the ovaries is female castration.
There are two primary concerns about this discussion of whether the ovaries should be removed. First, the ovaries produce all of the hormones a woman needs all of her life. The ovaries produce a variety of hormones including several types of estrogens, progesterone and androgens, which are released into the general circulation in precise and constantly varying amounts in order to maintain the balance called normalcy. Neither pharmaceutical hormones nor medical/surgical procedures can replicate this normal balance of hormone production, circulation and continual spontaneous adjustment to the body''s needs.
Second, and equally important, it is of concern that because the focus of this is whether the ovaries should remain intact or be removed that women and men may feel that as long as the ovaries are not removed that removing the uterus is inconsequential.
The uterus is a hormone-responsive reproductive sex organ that provides support to the bladder and the bowel. When a hysterectomy is performed the vagina is shortened and made into a closed pocket. Women who experience uterine orgasm (most women are unaware that it is contractions of the uterus that they feel during intense, pulsating orgasm) cannot experience it ever again when the uterus is removed.
Every woman and man, needs to be fully informed about the functions of the female organs. The HERS Foundation''s website has a short educational video "Female Anatomy: the Functions of the Female Organs" that should be seen by every woman before she is told to sign a form consenting to a hysterectomy and/or castration.
Posted: Mon., July 21, 2008, 04:42 pm
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