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by Sherrill Sellman
HYSTERECTOMIES—Surgical Assault of Women
A WOMAN’S UTERUS AND OVARIES
REPRESENT THE ESSENCE OF HER
FEMININE SELF. THE UTERUS IS THE
womb of life while the ovaries are the
fundamental reproductive organs pumping
out the three key sex hormones, progesterone,
estrogen and testosterone. However,
there is much more to these dynamic
organs than has been previously thought.
In fact, only recently has medical science
appreciated just what a wallop these
amazing organs really pack.
These reproductive organs have another
vital role. The uterus and ovaries are related
to a woman’s innermost sense of self and
her inner world. It reflects her inner
emotional reality and her belief in herself at
the deepest level. They are the center of a
woman’s creative self.
Aside from the ovary’s important function
of storing and maturing the eggs, it has
another important role as an endocrine
gland which produces hormones before,
during and after menopause. Far from the
popular myth that ovaries dry out, shrivel
up and become completely useless at
menopause, the ovaries continue to function
throughout a woman’s life.
Considering the immense significance
of the uterus and ovaries to the life of a
woman, it is a rather shocking fact that a
hysterectomy is the number one surgical
procedure for women.
How popular? In the U.S. more than
750,000 hysterectomies are performed
each year. One out of three women will
have had a surgical menopause before 60
years of age—a hysterectomy that includes
removal of the uterus and ovaries. To date
about 20 million American women have
had their uteruses removed. In Europe,
hysterectomies gross over $4 billion
annually.
Are hysterectomies really necessary?
According to Dr. Stanley West, noted infertility
specialist and chief of reproductive
endocrinology at St. Vincent’s Hospital,
New York, “more than 90 percent of
hysterectomies are unnecessary. Worse still,
the surgery can have long-lasting physical,
emotional and sexual consequences that
may seriously undermine a woman’s health
and well-being.”
Since the vast majority of hysterectomies
are not truly medically imperative,
it is stunning how often dietary and
nutritional support and healing modalities
such as acupuncture, lifestyle changes,
detoxification, stress management techniques
and emotional/spiritual approaches can heal
the vast majority of these problems.
FACTS ABOUT HYSTERECTOMY
- Women experience a loss of physical sexual sensation.
- A woman’s vagina is shortened, scarred and dislocated by hysterectomy.
- Hysterectomy’s damage is life-long. Among its most common consequences, in addition to operative injuries, are:
- heart disease
- osteoporosis
- bone, joint and muscle pain and immobility
- painful intercourse, vaginal damage
- displacement of bladder, bowel and other pelvic organs
- urinary tract infections, frequency, incontinence
- chronic constipation and digestive disorders
- altered body odor
- loss of short-term memory
- blunting of emotions, personality changes, despondency, irritability, anger, reclusiveness and suicidal thinking.
- No drugs or other treatments can replace ovarian or uterine hormones or functions. The loss is permanent.
- Most women are castrated (removal of ovaries) at hysterectomy.
- Twice as many women in their 20s and 30s are hysterectomized as women in their 50s and 60s.
NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT FOR WOMEN WITH HYSTERECTOMIES
- Digestive enzymes and probiotics
- Vitamin C
- B Complex
- Transdermal natural progesterone
- Royal Maca—an adaptogen herb for endocrine support
- Essential fatty acids
- Liver support herbs and vitamins
- Regular exercise 30–40 minutes four times per week
- Pure, spring water
- Reduced sugar, dairy, alcohol and carbohydrate consumption
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What is a Hysterectomy?
An hysterectomy is, by definition, the
removal of a vital female organ, the uterus.
However, more than 40 percent of the time
perfectly healthy ovaries are also removed.
The fallopian tubes and cervix are sometimes
removed as well. The term “total
hysterectomy” is now popularly used to
describe the removal of the uterus, ovaries,
fallopian tubes and part of the cervix.
More than 75 percent of hysterectomies
are performed on women between the ages
of 20 and 49. The older the woman is when
undergoing a hysterectomy, the more likely
that she will also have her perfectly healthy
ovaries removed as a preventative measure.
The consequences of losing one’s ovaries
cannot be overstated. Premenopausal women
will undergo an “instant” menopause,
complete with symptoms that are far more
severe than those that accompany normal
menopause, which follows a natural adjustment
in hormone production. The
rationale for removing the ovaries during a
hysterectomy is to prevent ovarian cancer.
However, the risk of ovarian cancer is not
totally eliminated because ovarian tissue
still remains. Without her ovaries a woman
will forever be at a greater risk for both
osteoporosis and heart disease, both of which represent a far greater statistical
threat than ovarian cancer.
Why Have One?
A hysterectomy is offered as a treatment for
several conditions. In the U.S. the leading
cause for surgery is uterine fibroids, benign
growths that, while sometimes troublesome
and painful, are not life threatening.
Fibroids account for about 30 percent of all
hysterectomies. Endometriosis ranks second
and leads to about 24 percent of all hysterectomies.
The third-ranking indication
is a prolapsed uterus caused by the loosening
of the muscular supports. Prolapses
account for about 20 percent. Endometrial
hyperplasia (abnormal proliferation of cells
in the endometrium due to excessive
estrogen stimulation) ranks fourth at six
percent. The remaining 20 percent include
menstrual disorders, ovarian cysts and
pelvic inflammatory disease.
Only 10 percent of all hysterectomies is
due to cancer. According to Dr. West,
“Chances are that you are in the 90 percent,
not the 10 percent.” He believes that the
only 100 percent appropriate reason for
performing an hysterectomy is cancer of
the reproductive organs.
While an hysterectomy is a fairly simple operation that involves detaching the uterus
from the ligaments that support it and the
blood vessels, it is far from safe.
Up to one-half of all patients develop
complications, some of which can be quite
serious. Many of these complications are the
preventable outcome of sloppy surgery and
may involve adhesions, infections and damage
to the bladder, bowel and uterus. Postoperative
bleeding can lead to fatal hemorrhaging.
An alarming statistic is that one out
of 1000 patients will die.
The Side-effects
The after effects of an hysterectomy are most
dramatic. In a relatively short period of time
a woman may experience fatigue, insomnia,
urinary problems, headaches, dizziness, vertigo,
nervousness, irritability, anxiety, heart
palpitations, joint pain, weight gain, vaginal
dryness, diminished physical strength, difficult
or painful sexual intercourse, hair loss
and a variety of skin problems.
The incidence of post-hysterectomy
depression appears relatively widespread.
Dr. Susan Love, author of Dr. Susan Love’s
Hormone Book, states that some 30 to 50
percent of women suffer from depression
while some other researchers estimate the
number to be as much as 70 percent. For
some it is minor and short lived while for
others it becomes a chronic state. Other psychological
disturbances include mood
change, anxiety and irritability. The hormonal
disruptions brought on by the surgery
can be far-reaching, affecting the nerve and
hormone interactions responsible for a sense
of emotional well-being.
Another troubling problem still to be
accounted for is an increased risk of heart
disease. The risk of heart disease is greatest
when the ovaries are removed. In addition,
some women who have their ovaries
removed have higher rates of osteoporosis,
even while taking hormone therapy.
Without the uterus holding the other
pelvic cavity organs in place, there is a tendency
for the bowel and bladder to prolapse.
After an hysterectomy, the hip bones tend to
widen, causing back, leg and foot problems.
What Women Aren’t Being Told
The uterus is far from a disposable organ. It
makes a little known hormone called
prostacyclin which protects against heart
disease and unwanted blood clotting. Since
prostacyclin cannot be synthetically manufactured,
once the uterus is removed its
protective benefits are gone forever.
The uterus also is an important sex
organ. The accelerating pitch of sexual
excitement prompts the uterus to contract
and rise out of the vagina. At orgasm, it
undergoes a series of contractions. All the
other so-called orgasms—vaginal, clitoral
and nipple—are the initiators of sexual
excitement but uterine contractions are the
end point of this excitement. The female
orgasm requires these contractions. Without
a uterus, orgasm can be difficult to achieve.
A hysterectomy may also sever some of
the nerves which go to the abdomen, the
clitoris and the upper thigh. This can lead to
a loss of tactile sensation from the waist to
the mid-thigh region. Given these findings,
there is no doubt that the loss of libido that
is often reported after an hysterectomy is
real, not imagined.
The medical terminology for removal of
the ovaries (or testicles) is castration. No
man in his right mind would ever consider
having his testicles removed unless his life
was seriously endangered. He certainly
would never believe any doctor who told
him this procedure would enhance his sex
life. Yet gynecologists routinely encourage
the removal of healthy ovaries and then
promise women that their sex lives will be
better than ever. It is therefore imperative for
women to understand that their uteruses
and/or ovaries should not be willingly
sacrificed until all other avenues have been
thoroughly explored.
Women who have their uteri removed
will automatically be put on some form of
estrogen, usually a patch. This is, indeed, a
most curious treatment since the uterus does
not produce estrogen. In fact, the two leading
reasons for a hysterectomy, fibroids and
endometriosis, are conditions known to be
caused by an excess of estrogen. Removing
an organ that is an expression of an underlying
imbalance will never resolve the problem.
In this case, adding estrogen supplementation
can create or even worsen health
problems which include weight gain, depression,
fluid retention, immune and autoimmune
dysfunction, thyroid problems,
migraines, foggy memory, breast
cancer, liver and gall bladder disease and
blood clots.
Regaining Control Over Our Bodies
There is no doubt that there are valid and
justified reasons for having an hysterectomy. Women who have been suffering from
chronic, painful and sometimes lifethreatening
conditions have indeed benefited
immensely from surgery. It is crucial,
however, that every woman is adequately
educated about the risks as well as the many
alternative treatments. After all, common
sense tells us that it is impossible to just
pluck out an organ or disturb the body’s
balance without paying a price.
For those women who have already
undergone hysterectomies, there is much
that a woman can do to insure her
health and well-being. For many women,
estrogen is not even a necessary treatment.
However, since an hysterectomy does
increase the risk of a variety of health concerns,
it is imperative that women seek guidance
and treatment from qualified holistic
health practitioners and be committed to
making the appropriate lifestyle and dietary
changes.
Perhaps the best advice for women
facing the decision of a hysterectomy comes
from Dr. West: “The challenge informed
women face is to persuade doctors to turn
away from the panaceas of the past to the
treatments of the future. The last few
decades have shown how forceful and
resourceful women can be in pursuit of the
economic and political power they were so
long denied. Just as basic to full autonomy is
control of your body and the right to make
decisions about your health and health care
on the basis of all available information, free
from pressure, scare tactics and outdated
doctor-knows-best paternalism. It is time we
doctors stopped disassembling healthy
women. But nothing will change until more
women look their doctors in the eye and
calmly state their determination to remain
intact women.”
For information on Sherrill’s book Hormone
Heresy: What Women MUST Know About Their
Hormones, her lectures and seminars schedule and her
hormone counseling program contact 877-215-1721.
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