Hysterectomy “Hot Sheet”

What if you could predict whether or not you are likely to eventually choose to have a hysterectomy?

Well now you can, according to a new study released this month by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco.

The four-year study confirms a widely held belief in gynecology: “The more symptoms of discomfort a woman has, as well as the longer she has tried alternative therapies unsuccessfully, the more likely she is to have a hysterectomy.”

The three predictors are:

1. Multiple symptoms (for example, symptomatic fibroids or multiple pelvic symptoms)
2. Other treatments that do not bring relief (for example, myomectomy  or endometrial ablation)
3. Previous use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH agonists) to induce medical menopause

Having just a single symptom (such as heavy bleeding) results in only a 20 percent change of undergoing a hysterectomy. But having a combination of symptoms plus the other two predictors leads to an astonishing 95% chance.

According to Dr. Lee Learman, the lead investigator in the study:

That, in turn, means women with a high likelihood of hysterectomy can avoid years of pain and discomfort while trying other options first and women with a low likelihood of hysterectomy can explore other options with more confidence of their success.

You can learn more about the study here and here.

Over to you now…. Will this news have an effect on your decision?

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