Hysterectomy News and Research

Latest Hysterectomy News and Research

Benefits and risks of the new HPV vaccine aren't fully known

Media coverage of the recently introduced human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine - including talk of state-mandated vaccination programs - has brought considerable attention, if not always clarity, to this issue.

2 Aug 2007

Focused ultrasound treatment of uterine fibroids offers long term symptom relief

A noninvasive, outpatient treatment for noncancerous uterine tumors provides sustained relief from symptoms, according to a new Mayo Clinic led collaborative study.

1 Aug 2007

More research needed on uterine fibroid treatment options

A systematic review of the research concerning treatment options for uterine fibroids, which affect most American women over 50, reveals surprisingly little evidence to help compare standard treatment recommendations, according to a report by researchers at the RTI International-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Evidence-based Practice Center, which is sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

27 Jul 2007

Estrogen use lowered one risk factor for heart disease among some younger postmenopausal women

A follow-up study to the federally funded Women's Health Initiative should help allay one concern in a subset of women in their 50s who are considering taking estrogen to relieve hot flashes.

23 Jun 2007

Estrogen HRT can limit plaque accumulation in arteries

Estrogen can limit significantly the accumulation of plaque in the arteries of women in their 50s, according to a study published on Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports (Newson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 6/20).

22 Jun 2007

Scientists look at slow-freezing techniques for human tissue

The goal is to make human eggs, ovarian tissue, blood vessels, even whole organs available when needed.

8 Jun 2007

Magnetic resonance-guided, focused ultrasound surgery relieves fibroid symptoms in women

A noninvasive ultrasound procedure effectively shrinks uterine fibroids and significantly relieves fibroid-related symptoms in women, according to the results of a multicenter clinical trial reported in the June issue of the journal Radiology.

30 May 2007

A woman's chance of undergoing a hysterectomy can now be accurately predicted

Results from a four-year study of 762 women with various symptoms of uterine distress, such as chronic pelvic pain, abnormal bleeding or fibroids, are reported in the April 2007 issue of the "Journal of the American College of Surgeons."

10 Apr 2007

HRT scare questioned

According to the latest research hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may not be quite as dangerous as was first implied by a major American study in 2002.

8 Apr 2007

Women unaware of health risks of surgical adhesions

Although more than half of the country's women will have some type of pelvic surgery and are therefore at risk for surgical adhesions, a survey released this month by the not-for- profit National Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC) finds that women are largely unaware of the health risks associated with adhesions.

5 Apr 2007

Treatment options for endometriosis

Jan Ruma's pain was getting worse, but she wrote it off as just a part of growing older and a normal side-effect of "that time of the month."

4 Apr 2007

Women who initiate hormone therapy closer to menopause tend to have a reduced risk of coronary heart disease

Studies examining the effects of the use of postmenopausal hormone therapy on coronary heart disease (CHD) have yielded mixed results, depending on the type of study conducted. There may be a number of reasons for the differences, including the timing of initiation of hormone therapy, according to background information in the article.

4 Apr 2007

New Jersey Health Department orders closure of abortion clinic, lawsuit filed

The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services last week ordered one of the state's largest abortion providers -- Metropolitan Medical Associates in Englewood, N.J. -- to close after finding violations that posed "immediate and serious risk of harm to patients," the Bergen Record reports.

4 Mar 2007

Uterine artery embolization is as effective as hysterectomy and myomectomy

Uterine artery embolization, a less-invasive treatment for uterine fibroids, is as effective as hysterectomy and myomectomy, according to a study published in the Jan. 25 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, the Washington Post reports.

28 Jan 2007

Oral contraceptives and IUDs protect against endometrial cancer

According to a new study by researchers in the U.S., oral contraceptives and intrauterine devices (IUD) appear to provide long-term protection against endometrial cancer.

22 Nov 2006

Confusion abounds on how to treat the menopause

The results in 2002 of a large U.S. study on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in many respects left women confused and alarmed about the treatment for the menopause.

25 Oct 2006

Estrogen and testosterone combination to treat menopause may increase risk of breast cancer

Women who take a combination of estrogen and testosterone to treat the symptoms of menopause may have an increased risk of breast cancer, according to an article in the July 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

25 Jul 2006

Most women at high risk for breast cancer do not increase their life expectancy by taking the drug tamoxifen

Tamoxifen is an extraordinarily expensive cancer-prevention strategy, costing as much as $1.3 million per year of life saved.

24 Jul 2006

Hysterectomy at the time of abdominal sacral colpopexy is associated with increased risk of mesh erosion in women on estrogen therapy

The surgical treatment of apical vaginal prolapse by abdominal sacral colpopexy is known to be effective.

13 Jun 2006

Total versus subtotal hysterectomy for benign gynaecological conditions

Women who undergo a total hysterectomy, in which both the uterus and the cervix are removed, are no more likely to experience sexual difficulties or urinary or bowel problems after surgery than women who have only their uterus removed, a new review has found.

23 May 2006