Hysterectomy Essay

Evaluating the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women who have undergone hysterectomy: A review of literature

Anahita Mehdian

University of Memphis

Spring, 2016 Evaluating the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women who have undergone hysterectomy: A review of literature

Introduction

Hysterectomy is a common surgical procedure in the United States, with approximately 600,000 hysterectomies performed each year (Whiteman et al., 2008). Hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus and may be accompanied by bilateral or unilateral oophorectomy (Appiah, 2015). Rates of hysterectomies increased, from years 1965-2002. Since then a 34% reduction in hysterectomy rates has been reported, in 2010 (Lobo, 2016). Hysterectomy may be accompanied by the removal of one or both of the ovaries to decrease the risk of ovarian cancer and in some cases for an indication other than cancer, such as treating fibroid tumors or excess bleeding (Moorman, 2011). Cardiovascular Disease is defined by the American Heart Association as “Heart and blood vessel disease”. Atherosclerosis of the arteries, can lead to hypertension, heart failure, arrhythmias, heart valve problems, myocardial infarctions or a stroke (AHA, 2016). In this paper, all of heart and vessel diseases aforementioned, will be considered cardiovascular disease (CVD). According to

To decrease the risk of ovarian cancer frequently an oophorectomy is done at the same time the hysterectomy is performed. When a hysterectomy and oophorectomy are done together, it may be referred to as surgical menopause. Hysterectomy is often performed to remove cancers of the uterine cervix or endometrium. Hysterectomies are often performed as a last resort to treating endometriosis and uterine fibroid tumors and menorrhagia, as well as several forms of vaginal uterine prolapse (Moorman,