Women who were more than 10 years menopausal and underwent an oophorectomy demonstrated twice the rate of bone loss and carotid intima-media thickness compared with women who did not undergo ovary removal, new data suggest.
“Most women in the United States having a hysterectomy have their ovaries removed as well as their uterus, even those who do not have increased risk of breast or ovarian cancer. As we learn more about the protective effects the ovaries may exert on bone and cardiovascular health after menopause, this practice could be reconsidered. While the incidence of ovarian cancer increases with age and it is notoriously difficult to detect, a physician’s careful analysis of a woman’s individual risks for cancer, as well as for bone loss or cardiovascular disease could help her decide whether oophorectomy is the best course,” Rebecca Sokol, MD, MPH, Acting President of ASRM, said in a press release.
The findings suggest that oophorectomy raises the risk for women developing osteoporosis and CVD, according to Sara J. Mucowski, MD, of the division of reproductive endocrinology and fertility and department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, and colleagues.
Mucowski and colleagues conducted a secondary analysis from the Women’s Isoflavone Soy Health (WISH) trial, in which they conducted baseline and annual screenings of BMD and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) every 6 months for 3 years among 220 healthy postmenopausal women.
Women who underwent oophorectomy were significantly younger than those who did not (P=.01), according to data.
The rate of CIMT progression was significantly less in women who were menopausal for more than 10 years with intact ovaries vs. women with prior oophorectomy, according to data.
Compared to those who underwent the oopherectomy, there was also a trend toward a slower loss of BMD in women 5 to 10 years postmenopause who kept their ovaries; significantly less BMD in women more than 10 years postmenopause who kept their ovaries, researchers wrote.
“In the United States, 55% of all women undergoing hysterectomy for benign indications, without increased risk of breast or ovarian cancer, have concurrent bilateral oophorectomy; this increases to 78% in those women ages 45-64. However, with emerging data supporting the possible benefits of ovarian conservation, it may be time to reconsider this practice,” researchers wrote.
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