They call it “Surgical Menopause”, couldn’t they have come up with a better name for it? Something, really anything else would be preferable to attaching the word “menopause” to a young woman still in her prime, still very much at the start of her story. A word that doesn’t conjure up images of graying ladies […]
It may seem like quite the leap from hysterectomy to suicide, but it really isn’t a leap at all. Hysterectomy with ovary removal induces what doctors refer to as “surgical menopause.” There’s really no such thing as “surgical” menopause. Hysterectomy with oophorectomy is the female equivalent to male castration and as such carries with it […]
I was one of those lucky women who never suffered any gynecological problems in the 58 years I had my precious female organs fully intact. I trusted the female GP who did my yearly Pap smear (which she insisted I have every year, despite never, ever having abnormal cells). I did not know she was […]
Gynecologic surgeries, particularly hysterectomy (uterus removal), oophorectomy (ovary removal) and C-section, are the top overused procedures in the U.S. Only a small percentage of hysterectomies and oophorectomies are considered necessary since gynecologic cancers are rare. According to this JAMA Surgery article on 2007 inpatient procedures, “Two operations on the female genital system, hysterectomy and oophorectomy, accounted […]
Gynecologic surgeries, particularly hysterectomy (uterus removal), oophorectomy (ovary removal) and C-section, are the top overused procedures in the U.S. Only a small percentage of hysterectomies and oophorectomies are considered necessary since gynecologic cancers are rare. According to this JAMA Surgery article on 2007 inpatient procedures, “Two operations on the female genital system, hysterectomy and oophorectomy, accounted […]
Endometrial ablation seems to be the latest “bag of tricks” in the treatment of women’s gynecological problems. It is an increasingly common procedure used to treat heavy menstrual bleeding. The procedure is premised on the notion that if the endometrial lining is destroyed – ablated – bleeding can no longer occur. Problem solved. But is […]
My experience with hysterectomy and castration (oophorectomy – removal of the ovaries) began in October of 1975, long before information was easily available on the Internet, and in a time when any kind of warning about this surgery was virtually non-existent, and when a doctor’s recommendation was rarely questioned. With that said…The trauma done to […]
It all began when I noticed a tiny pinkish spot on my underwear. Maybe a bit of dryness, or perhaps a slight infection. But a few days later it happened again. Doing some research, I was convinced it was due to vaginal dryness–nothing to worry about. But a week or so later, there was real, […]