Rising number of hysterectomies alarms doctors

It is often inappropriately recommended for minor gynaecological issues

NT Correspondent
Bengaluru

The number of hysterectomies done in India continues to be on the rise and in many cases there is no requirement for such a procedure. In fact, hysterectomies have become the second most common surgeries performed by obstetricians and gynaecologists, after caesarean section.
Women are getting their uterus removed even in cases where the organ can be saved by other medical options. A significant number of hysterectomies done in India are unnecessary and may even be unethical, according to experts.
Ahead of the International Day of Action for Women’s Health, Dr Vidya V. Bhat, Medical Director, RadhaKrishna Multispeciality Hospital, Bengaluru said, “About 70% of hysterectomies in India are conducted in the private sector, with much higher rates in the less-educated and rural population. More and more women in the country are getting hysterectomies at a younger age, many of them being in their twenties. This is very concerning.”
According to a study in Karnataka, nearly 50% of women who had undergone hysterectomy were less than 35 years of age. In Gujarat, the incidence of hysterectomy is 20.7 per 1,000 women, which is four times higher than in countries such as the US and Germany.
A 2018 Indian government survey found that more than 22,000 Indian women aged 15-49 out of the 700,00 surveyed had undergone a hysterectomy. The fourth National family & Health Survey found that 6% of women in the age group of 30-49 years had undergone a hysterectomy in India. The purpose of hysterectomy is to save women from uterus-related, life-threatening conditions.
 The procedure should be done above 45 years to decrease its side effects.
Patient-related factors like menstrual taboos, lack of social and financial security, lack of knowledge and lack of access to primary healthcare are the many reasons for unindicted hysterectomy. 
Many women regard reproduction as the sole function of the uterus and are easily convinced that hysterectomy is a permanent solution for not using any contraceptive methods.
The abnormal rise in the incidence of hysterectomy shows that we as society are failing in improving women’s health. Women who have undergone hysterectomy tend to have increased incidence of heart disease and may also show symptoms of osteoporosis at an early age.
In many instances, it is inappropriately recommended as the first line of treatment for minor gynaecological issues that may not directly be related to the uterus, such as lower abdominal pain, back ache or white discharge. Many alternative methods of treatment to hysterectomy today exist, including oral remedies, hormonal injections for excessive menstrual bleeding, and removal of just the fibroid and not the entire uterus.