Hysterectomy and Heart Disease

A new study shows that there may be a link between women removing their
ovaries and heart disease. The research says that the possible link is
related to women who remove healthy ovaries have a higher risk of
contracting fatal heart disease.

The Los Angeles Times article said about the study in the Journal of
Obstetrics & Gynecology, "But the study's authors said routine removal is
often not a good choice. Though the risk of ovarian and breast cancer
declined after ovary removal, the risk of heart disease and stroke for women
under 50 nearly doubled, and risk of death overall before age 50 rose by
40%."

Nearly 600,000 women annually have a hysterectomy with hopes of preventing
or treating ovarian cancer, but now some doctors are urging healthy patients
not to undergo such hasty preventative measures. This study was more
specifically correlated to women who had yet to go through menopause.

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