Study Reveals 11% Women Aged Over 45 Opt for Hysterectomies in India
A recent study in India highlights that 11% of women aged over 45 opt for hysterectomies due to reasons like excessive bleeding, fibroids/cysts. Southern states report the highest prevalence, and women with two or more kids are more likely to undergo hysterectomy. More awareness and better training of doctors are needed.
A recent study has shown that for every 100 women aged above 45 years in India, at least 11 have undergone hysterectomies.
The research article, published in the peer-reviewed journal Women’s Reproductive Health on May 10, further highlights the socio-economic barriers within this equation, detailing that financially better-off women frequently undergo hysterectomy for menstrual pain relief, while poorer women undergo it more for uterine prolapse and other reasons.
One of the three authors of the study, International Institute of Population Sciences (IIPS) master’s student Gaurav Gunnal, told TOI, “We analyzed the responses of about 34,919 women in data collected by the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI), which is an undertaking of the Union ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW). Of the total, 4,016 women had undergone hysterectomies, which is around 11.5%. The aim of our study was to find the cause of opting for a hysterectomy, as well as the regional and socioeconomic disparities within this group.”
Nationally, the most common cause of hysterectomies was found to be excessive bleeding (20%), followed by
fibroids/cysts (17.4%) and uterine prolapse (12.2%). The highest prevalence in the country was reported from the southern states (18.2%).
The data further shows that a higher number of women with two or more kids are likely to undergo hysterectomy, compared to those who have one or no kids. The study said removal of the uterus was viewed as a “convenient option” by many in the demographic.
According to the research, 7.22% women in a comparable age bracket opted for hysterectomies in neighboring country China; or 22.1% of women above 45 years, reported this procedure in the US.
Gunnal added, “Our study also highlights rampant recommendations made by doctors for hysterectomy as a preventive surgery and shows that many opt for it to benefit from govt schemes. We concluded that more awareness is required around this issue, besides better training of doctors – especially in rural areas to avoid unwanted hysterectomies. The study underscores the importance of evaluating the hysterectomy’s use and exploring non-invasive alternatives to prioritize women’s health.”
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