Along With Its Prognosis and Thesis

177).

I would like to discuss the complications resulting from this procedure as my mother has undergone this surgery and I have seen how a patient can suffer from numerous consequences. Hysterectomy can lead to many long-term complications which may include urinary problems, hormone imbalance, sexual issues, depression, adhesions and heart complications etc. For this reason, hysterectomy has often under attack. It is believed that this procedure is being performed far more commonly than needed and hence some critics are skeptic of the need to have this performed because in most cases, the problems are not very serious. "Many people question the fact that more than 650,000 hysterectomies are performed in the United States each year. Very few of these operations are performed because of a life-threatening situation, and it is likely that many of them are unnecessary. Per capita, half as many hysterectomies are performed in the Great Britain as in the United States, and statistically American women show no health benefits for their incidence of surgery." (Balch, p.504). The reason that hysterectomies are controversial is because of the high number of these procedures taking place in the U.S. each year and most of the times, this procedure may actually not needed. The long-term complications with hysterectomy tend to make this procedure even more unpopular among critics. Women who have undergone this surgery report many problems and quality of life is hugely compromised after this procedure and hence it is important that a more responsible attitude is adopted when recommending hysterectomy. Dr. Stanley West is strictly against hysterectomy for he believes that in most cases, it is simply not needed. This is a very drastic measure which can be completely avoided in so many cases but since people have inadequate knowledge of their own bodies or what hysterectomy can do to them, they follow doctor's recommendation for the procedure without getting a second opinion.Stanley West argues: "You don't need a hysterectomy. It can do you more harm than good. Those are strong words but the fact is that more than 90% of hysterectomies are unnecessary. Worse, the surgery can have long-lasting physical, emotional and sexual consequences that may undermine your health and well being…. Most of the "female problems" that lead to hysterectomy are medically trivial. They can be uncomfortable. Untreated, some can make your life miserable. But they will not kill you." (West, p. 1-2). While this may be a common procedure, it is still a highly unnecessary one and patients must be given more information before they agree to this surgical procedure. Medical community must show great responsibility and caution when recommending hysterectomy for some of the very common and trivial medical problems. They must understand that such a procedure can lead to life long problems and may actually do more harm than good.

From all that I have read about this procedure and from what I have observed myself, I can say with confidence that it is a unnecessary surgical procedure that women are being subjected to simply because they do not have adequate knowledge of alternate procedures. I wish there was more awareness about the consequences of undergoing this surgery because I am sure if women knew better, they would never choose this surgery as a treatment for their uterus-related problems.

References

Phyllis a. Balch. Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition. Avery Trade; 4 edition (October 19, 2006)

Stanley West MD, Paula Dranov. The Hysterectomy Hoax: The Truth About Why Many Hysterectomies Are Unnecessary and How to Avoid Them, 3rd Edition. Next Decade, Inc.; 3rd edition (April 1, 2002)

Adelaide Haas. The Woman's….....