Hysterectomy: NWHIC

Article title: Hysterectomy: NWHIC

Conditions: Hysterectomy

Source: NWHIC

HYSTERECTOMY

What is a hysterectomy?
What are the conditions leading to hysterectomy?

See also...

• Uterine Cancer
• Uterine Fibroids
• Endometriosis

What is a hysterectomy?

Hysterectomy is the most common nonpregnancy-related major surgery performed on women in the United States. In 1995, approximately 590,000 women in this country will undergo the procedure. Surgical removal of the uterus, and frequently the ovaries, is widely accepted both by medical professionals and the public as appropriate treatment for uterine cancer, and for various common non-cancerous uterine conditions that can produce often disabling levels of pain, discomfort, uterine bleeding, emotional distress, and related symptoms. Yet, while hysterectomy can alleviate uterine problems, less invasive treatments are available.

What are the conditions leading to hysterectomy?

Most women who undergo hysterectomy are between the ages of 35 and 54, with the highest age-specific rate for women 35 to 44 years of age. Overall, uterine fibroids account for approximately one-third of all hysterectomies performed in the United States. Endometriosis is the second most common condition leading to hysterectomy, accounting for 18 percent. Hysterectomy rates also are correlated with a number of non-clinical characteristics of patients, such as socioeconomic status, geographic diversity, and with provider variables, such as physician training and gender of physician.

For More Information...

You can find out more about hysterectomies by contacting the following organizations:

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

American College of Surgeons

This information was abstracted from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

All material contained in the FAQs is free of copyright restrictions, and may be copied, reproduced, or duplicated without permission of the Office on Women's Health in the Department of Health and Human Services; citation of the source is appreciated.

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Publication date: 1998

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