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Hysterectomy & Ovary Removal:
What ALL Women Need to KNOW
by Elizabeth Plourde, C.L.S., Ph.D.
Hysterectomy & Ovary Removal: Helpful or Harmful?
Dr. Plourde's personal experience with her own hysterectomy was so different from what her doctors and friends had related, she realized ALL women need answers to the question: "Are hysterectomies helpful or harmful?" As a result, the author embarked on a 16 year journey of exploring the full impact that reproductive organ removal has on women's bodies. Licensing as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist, combined with training in the fields of both medicine and psychology, provided Elizabeth with the perfect background to research the entire century of medical and scientific literature encompassing these procedures. Spurred by the shocking findings of why her body did not function the same as before her uterus and ovaries were removed, the author wrote the book she wished had been available before she said "yes" to these "life-changing" procedures.
Skillfully interweaving women's personal surgical experiences with data from medical studies, Hysterectomy & Ovary Removal offers a unique in-depth study of the current "standard medical practices" of removing women's reproductive organs. With citations from over 1,000 medical journal articles, the author utilizes overwhelming documentation to disprove society's beliefs that: "a hysterectomy may be the best thing that could ever happen to a woman" and "a woman's reproductive organs are good for only one thing—childbearing". Such beliefs have allowed hysterectomies to flourish as the answer to many female reproductive problems. So much so, hysterectomies have become accepted as an almost "rite of passage" in America, leading to over 600,000 women a year undergoing hysterectomies, even though only 10% are performed for life-threatening conditions. Additionally, misconceptions surrounding the ovaries have also assisted in the acceptance of prophylactic ovary removal as an appropriate response to the fear of cancer. As a result, over 400,000 women sacrifice their ovaries every year.
When these surgical procedures started gaining acceptance, there were no long-term studies conducted to determine whether they were helpful or harmful. This book reveals that the answers are available today—answers which demonstrate that when women elect hysterectomy or prophylactic ovary removal they gamble with the quality of their lives. The simplified explanations of the body's hormonal functions provide a foundation for understanding the critical interactions occurring between all the body's systems, and dramatically illustrate why women's reproductive organs are not dispensable after the childbearing years. Specific chapters are devoted to relating the potentially detrimental short- and long-term consequences that can arise, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, osteoporosis, depression, fibromyalgia, sexual dysfunction, and bladder and bowel problems. Since the long-term surgical consequences take years to show up, they have not been associated with hysterectomies or ovary removal, yet women unknowingly are catapulted into a greater risk of their #1 killer—heart disease; as well as subjected to the debilitating and potentially lethal consequences of osteoporosis. Every year 50,000 women die from broken hips, alone. Compelling evidence is provided which shows that our entire society is impacted by these surgeries, from our basic family units, to our medical, economic, and political institutions. The evidence also reveals that we, as a nation, can no longer afford to ignore the harmful effects and long-term costs associated with elective reproductive organ removal, and that it may be time to reconsider whether these "standard medical practices" should be continued.
Written in layman's language, this book is a compelling "must read" for all women who have either had surgery, or are facing surgery. It also contains essential information for menopausal women who are looking for answers to their questions surrounding hormone replacement therapy. An invaluable resource book for the modern woman, its knowledge empowers women to ask the "right questions" of their health care provider, enabling them to make informed choices—choices that will help them maintain life-long vibrant health.
Contact information:
Elizabeth Plourde, Ph.D.
publisher@newvoice.net
Please be sure to print all 3 pages: