![]() ![]() Of the more than 600,000 hysterectomies performed in the United States each year, only about 10 percent are for cancer treatment and are considered potentially lifesaving, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Related: Women, Hormones, and Depression Most Hysterectomies Are Elective, Not Medically Necessary “We are learning now that removal of the uterus, even with conservation of the ovaries, may also have long-term effects on physical and mental health.” “Ovaries produce estrogen and progesterone, and after menopause, they continue to produce androgen, which protects against heart disease and dementia,” says Dr. For women dealing with uterine fibroids (noncancerous growths of the uterine muscle that can cause heavy menstrual bleeding), the thinking was, “You’re done with childbearing why not?” Today, however, experts recognize the important part that the uterus and ovaries can play, especially regarding hormones and health. Related: Different Types and Methods of Hysterectomy Another Reason to Investigate Alternative Options Before Hysterectomyįortunately, we are no longer in the olden days, when women were rushed into surgical hysterectomies because of lack of options. There is also a theory that hysterectomies may directly affect cognitive and brain aging.” The mental health conditions that increase after hysterectomy may be related to a decrease in ovarian function that occurs from removal of the uterus. “We did show that women are already at risk for depression and anxiety prior to a hysterectomy. “We could not determine causality in this observational study,” says senior author Shannon Laughlin-Tommaso, MD, chair of the division of gynecology and associate professor of obstetrics-gynecology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota. Experts Don’t Know Why Women Who Lost Uteruses Had Increased Mental Health Risks For women who had hysterectomies between ages 18 and 35, the risk of depression was higher, with absolute risk increase of 12 percent. The investigated women showed an absolute risk increase of 6.6 percent for depression and 4.7 percent for anxiety. Younger Women More Likely to Become Depressed After Hysterectomy Women who had diagnoses of depression or anxiety prior to undergoing hysterectomies were not included in the analysis for new-onset depression or anxiety.Ī hysterectomy is a surgical operation to remove the uterus, or womb, the organ located in a woman’s pelvis that is crucial for reproduction. ![]() Using data from the Rochester Epidemiology Project, a collaboration of healthcare facilities in Minnesota and Wisconsin, the study, published online, on August 30, 2019, in Menopause: The Journal of the North American Menopause Society, reviewed health records of study participants from 1980 to 2002. This Study Looked at Women’s Mental Health Histories Prior to Hysterectomies In a cohort study involving 2100 women who have had their uteruses removed (ovaries were left intact), researchers have found an association between the hysterectomies and an increased long-term risk of mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression. ![]()
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