Functional Medicine | Get Healthy Now, Naturally | Alternative Health Information Functional Medicine | Get Healthy Now, Naturally | Alternative Health Information Functional Medicine | Get Healthy Now, Naturally | Alternative Health Information Functional Medicine | Get Healthy Now, Naturally | Alternative Health Information Your Medical Detective

Ovary removal increases heart disease risk

Print Page

Ovary removal increases heart disease risk

Researcher recommends keeping the organs when having a hysterectomy for a benign condition

Women undergoing a hysterectomy for a benign disease of the uterus often have their ovaries taken out as well, but researchers say the benefit of preventing ovarian cancer may be outweighed by the development of other health problems. That's because removal of the ovaries results in a drop in the female hormone estrogen, which increases the risk of menopause-related conditions such as heart disease and brittle bones, or osteoporosis.

"If you remove the ovaries, you'll save 50 lives from death by ovarian cancer. But you'll lose 840 lives through death from heart disease," says Dr. William Parker of the University of California at Los Angeles. "Many more women will die of heart disease as a result of taking the ovaries out than you can save by preventing ovarian cancer."

Most hysterectomies are performed for benign growths in the uterus such as fibroids. More than one-third of women younger than age 45 who undergo hysterectomy for benign disease also have their ovaries removed, and that rate increases to about three-quarters in women 45 and older. The most common reason for removal of the ovaries is to prevent ovarian cancer. However, hysterectomy -- with or without removal of the ovaries -- already substantially lowers the risk of ovarian cancer, so other health risks may be more relevant, Parker suggests.

"The risk of dying of ovarian cancer is much less than the risk of dying of heart disease and osteoporosis and fracture. Those risks are lower if you have your own source of estrogen in your body."

Parker and his colleagues used previously published data on the risks for ovarian cancer, coronary heart disease, breast cancer, stroke and hip fracture in women who had their ovaries removed, and in those who had intact ovaries. They then used a mathematical model to predict outcomes in a hypothetical group of 10,000 women.

The results suggest women ages 65 and under who keep their ovaries have better long-term survival. In women ages 55 and younger, ovarian conservation resulted in death rates nearly nine per cent lower than death rates with ovary removal. The differences in mortality rates continue, but steadily decrease, until age 65.

With files from The Medical Post.