Over the past decade, the popularity of hysterectomies has declined. Since 2002, the number of these operations performed has dropped by more than 36 percent. More women are avoiding the removal of their uterus.
A new study suggests, however, that surgeons are still doing a hysterectomy on too many women who don’t really need the operation. Too many of the 400,000 operations conducted each year may be unnecessary. According to the study, tissue taken from one woman in five did not support the need for hysterectomy.
Less invasive alternatives for conditions such as endometriosis, pelvic pain and fibroids are available, and the authors suggest they should be tried before surgery in more instances.
[American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, online Dec. 23, 2015]
