Removing ovaries with hysterectomy prevents ovarian cancer?

Hysterectomy, the surgical removal of a woman's uterus, is often a last resort for those who suffer from endometrial hyperplasia and the resulting heavy, painful and prolonged menstrual bleeding. It is also recommended for women who have tumors in their uterus, and is sometimes necessary for those who suffer complications during childbirth. But is the removal of the uterus enough? According to one new study, women who are already having a hysterectomy might need to think about having their ovaries taken out at the same time.

The study was led by Dr Vanessa Jacoby from the University of California. She and her research tea, looked at data from more than 25,000 women who had hysterectomies. The women were between 50 and 79 years old, and were followed for seven to eight years to find out how many would get ovarian cancer following hysterectomy. Data was taken from the Women's Healthy Initiative study. The researchers concluded that ovarian cancer was a rare occurrence, whether a woman had her ovaries removed when they got a hysterectomy or not. Those who had only their uterus removed had a 1 in 300 chance of ovarian cancer. Those who also had their ovaries taken out had a lesser chance: 1 in 5,000.

Previous research found a link between hip fractures and heart disease and the removal of a woman's ovaries. This new study concluded that women who had a hysterectomy and their ovaries removed had comparable rates of heart disease and hip fractures as those who only had a hysterectomy. Both groups had around an 8 in 1,000 chance of these things developing. Doctors from the University of California as well as many others have still pointed out that, even with the results of this study, having one's ovaries removed along with a hysterectomy is a very personal decisions that should be discussed with your doctor at length.