Hysterectomy leads to early menopause

Menopause arrives earlier in women who have undergone hysterectomy as compared to those who have not. Researchers from the University of Auckland studied 257 premenopausal women who had a hysterectomy and 259 matched women who did not. During the 5 years of follow-up, significantly more women in the hysterectomy group reached menopause than in the comparison group; 21 percent versus 7 percent. The major finding is that women who have undergone hysterectomy reached menopause 3.7 years sooner than non-hysterectomized women, regardless of their weight or whether they smoked. A total of 28 women in the hysterectomy group had also had an ovary removed, and 10 of them (36 percent) reached menopause during the 5-year follow-up period. On average, these women reached menopause 4.4 years sooner than women who retained both ovaries after hysterectomy. The findings raise concerns for women and gynaecologists, especially given the widespread use of hysterectomy and concerns about long term use of estrogen replacement therapy.