The banning of the morcellator does not go a long way toward stopping the gross overuse and harm caused by hysterectomy but at least it is a start. According to this 2000 study http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10674580, 70% of hysterectomies were inappropriately recommended and 76% did not meet ACOG criteria. Equally troubling is that 78% of women aged 45 to 64 lose healthy ovaries (the equivalent of a man's testicles) at the time of hysterectomy despite the average woman's lifetime risk of ovarian cancer being a measly 1.4%.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10674580
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19702455
The ovaries of a woman with all her parts produce hormones into her 70's especially androgens that can convert into estrogen as needed by the body. Total testosterone levels increase in INTACT aging women reaching premenopausal levels in ages 70-79. These hormones are essential for many aspects of health. Hysterectomized and oophorectomized women have lower levels of hormones increasing their health risks.
- http://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/Fulltext/2005/08000/Ovarian_Conservation_at_the_Time_of_Hysterectomy.4.aspx
- http://press.endocrine.org/doi/full/10.1210/jcem.85.2.6405
Clearly, hysterectomy and/or oophorectomy can do more harm than good.
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The banning of the morcellator does not go a long way toward stopping the gross overuse and harm caused by hysterectomy but at least it is a start. According to this 2000 study http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10674580, 70% of hysterectomies were inappropriately recommended and 76% did not meet ACOG criteria. Equally troubling is that 78% of women aged 45 to 64 lose healthy ovaries (the equivalent of a man's testicles) at the time of hysterectomy despite the average woman's lifetime risk of ovarian cancer being a measly 1.4%.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10674580
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19702455
The ovaries of a woman with all her parts produce hormones into her 70's especially androgens that can convert into estrogen as needed by the body. Total testosterone levels increase in INTACT aging women reaching premenopausal levels in ages 70-79. These hormones are essential for many aspects of health. Hysterectomized and oophorectomized women have lower levels of hormones increasing their health risks.
- http://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/Fulltext/2005/08000/Ovarian_Conservation_at_the_Time_of_Hysterectomy.4.aspx
- http://press.endocrine.org/doi/full/10.1210/jcem.85.2.6405
Clearly, hysterectomy and/or oophorectomy can do more harm than good.
June 10, 2015 - 2:41pmThis Comment
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