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.