Hysterectomy With Ovary Conservation Doubles Odds of Hot Flushes, Night Sweats

QUEENSLAND, Australia -- August 3, 2016 -- A study published in the journal Maturitas has found that vasomotor symptoms can persist for more than a decade among women who have had a hysterectomy with ovary conservation, seriously affecting quality of life.
Louise Wilson, University of Queensland School of Public Health, Queensland, Australia, and colleagues examined 17 years of data from more than 6000 women in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH).
Approximately 20% of the women had a hysterectomy with ovary conservation before the age of 50.
“Almost a third of these women experienced hot flushes that persisted long term, and around 1 in 5 were afflicted by constant night sweats,” said Wilson. “These rates were double those of women who did not have a hysterectomy during the study period, and could not be explained by differences in lifestyle or socioeconomic factors.”
“We believe this to be the first longitudinal study to explore long-term patterns of hot flushes and night sweats by hysterectomy status,” she said.
Women who had a hysterectomy with both ovaries removed were consistently reported to have more frequent or severe hot flushes and night sweats.
“That is thought to be related to the abrupt decline in oestrogen levels post-surgery,” said co-author Gita Mishra, MD, University of Queensland. “However, the effect of a hysterectomy when ovaries are retained has been less clear. This study shows that for many women hot flushes and night sweats can have a major impact on their quality of life, productivity and social life for well over a decade.”
Dr. Mishra said further research was needed to determine the reasons for this higher risk.
“It is likely that the biological mechanism is extremely complex, but transition to menopause earlier in life is likely to be a factor for these women who all underwent the procedure before the age of 50,” said Dr. Mishra. “Women and their medical practitioners need to be aware of the increased risk of persistent vasomotor symptoms when considering treatment options."
SOURCE: University of Queensland