Why are we getting so many hysterectomies?
Hysterectomy is the second most frequently performed surgical procedure, after cesarean section, for women of reproductive age in the United States. Approximately 600,000 hysterectomies are performed annually in the United States, and approximately 20 million U.S. women have had a hysterectomy. Women aged 40--44 years had a significantly higher hysterectomy rate compared with any other age group. During the study period, 52% of all hysterectomies were performed among women aged < 44 years. In addition, hysterectomy rates per 1,000 in women aged 45--54 years increased significantly, from 8.9 in 1994 to 10 in 1999. The overall hysterectomy rate for women living in the South was 6.5 per 1,000, which was significantly higher than the rate among women who lived in either the Northeast (4.3) or the West (4.8) but not significantly higher than the rate among women who lived in the Midwest (5.4). Black women were more likely to undergo abdominal hysterectomy than white women. This r