Nexus - 0406 - New Times Magazine-pages

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HYSTERECTOMY Alternatives to Invasive Surgery The solution to ‘female problems’ is not in resorting to unnecessary major surgery but in adopting safer, less invasive, more natural options which promote women's own self-healing powers. ta meeting of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1971, members hotly debated the issue of hysterectomy. The overwhelming conclu- sion regarding whether every woman who is finished with childbearing should have a hysterectomy was summed up by gynaecologist Ralph W. White, M.D. He expressed the members' prevailing attitude of respect for the female womb by pro- claiming, "It's a useless, bleeding, symptom-producing, potential cancer-bearing organ." It's unfortunate that such outdated views persist to the present day. When it comes to women and their reproductive organs, hysterectomy is usually the most popular solution for a range of "female problems". How popular? In the USA, hysterectomy is the most common, major, non-obstetric procedure per- formed on women, with over 600,000 operations done each year, even though most of the "female problems" are medically trivial. (Caesareans are the most common obstetric pro- cedure.) One out of three women will have had a "surgical menopause" before the age of 60—hysterectomy that includes removal of the ovaries. To date, about 20 million American women have had their uteruses removed. In Europe, the proportion is only one seventh of the US total, perhaps because medicine is socialised in several European coun- tries and there is less of a profit motive.” However, with the expectation of a huge number of baby boomers about to enter menopause, Dr Stanley West—noted infertility specialist, chief of reproductive endocrinology at St Vincent's Hospital, New York, and author of Hysterectomy Hoax— has predicted that the statistics will soon show that up to 60 per cent of women in the US will have a hysterectomy by the age of 60. Hysterectomy rates in the United Kingdom continue to climb. Presently, about 100,000 women annually undergo this procedure. Some 43 per cent of hysterectomies involve the removal of one or both ovaries; and 60 per cent of those operations are performed on pre- menopausal women under the age of 49.* In Australia, it is estimated that at least four out of every 10 women will have a hys- terectomy by the time they turn 65. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has reported that the total number of hysterectomies performed in 1994-1995 was 36,817. There are some locations in Australia that pose a greater risk for keeping female repro- ductive organs intact. John Archer, author of Bad Medicine, has noted that women in the Hunter region near Newcastle, NSW, had a 36 per cent higher chance of losing their uterus than others fortunate enough to live elsewhere.* It seems that the hysterectomy option coincides more with the particular inclinations and surgical abilities of local gynae- cologists rather than medical imperatives. The percentage of hysterectomies which are truly necessary is subject to some debate. According to Dr West, "...more than 90 per cent of hysterectomies are unnecessary. Worse still, the surgery can have long-lasting physical, emotional and sexual conse- quences that may seriously undermine a woman's health and well-being."* Many authori- ties agree, however, that 90 per cent of the procedures are "elective", that there are alter- natives in at least 90 per cent of cases, and that less than 10 per cent of the operations are in fact medically necessary. Of the 110,000 women counselled by the Pennsylvania-based Hysterectomy Education and Research Services (HERS) Foundation and referred to board-certified gynaecologists for second opinions regarding a recommended hysterectomy, 98 per cent of them discov- ered they did not need hysterectomies after all. powers. by Sherrill Sellman ©1997 Light Unlimited Productions Locked Bag 8000-MDC. Kew, Victoria 3101, Australia Telephone: +61 (0)3 9249 9591 Fax: +61(0)3 9855 9991 E-mail: golight@netspace.net.au Light Unlimited Productions Locked Bag 8000-MDC. Kew, Victoria 3101, Australia Telephone: +61 (0)3 9249 9591 Fax: +61(0)3 9855 9991 E-mail: golight@netspace.net.au NEXUS - 29 SOME STARTLING STATISTICS by Sherrill Sellman ©1997 OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 1997