The hysterectomized woman: Is she special? The women's health in the Lund area (WHILA) study

Abstract

Objective To delineate the health profile of hysterectomized women and to assess whether women who have undergone hysterectomy have a different health profile even before surgery. Material and methods The WHILA project covers all women ( n = 10,766) aged 50–60, living in the Lund area and are based on questionnaires and personal interviews tied to laboratory examinations. Results 6917 women (64.2%) had complete questionnaires and laboratory tests, 800 were hysterectomized (11.6%). Logistic regression analysis revealed that hysterectomized women had more “dizziness” 1.40 (1.19–1.66), “nervous problems” 1.29 (1.07–1.56), “backache” 1.37 (1.16–1.62), “joint problems” 1.29 (1.09–1.52), “eye problem” 1.20 (1.02–1.42) and “headache” 1.17 (1.00–1.37). For both somatic (5.22 versus 4.49 mean value, p < 0.001) and psychological (4.19 versus 3.86 mean value, p = 0.002) symptoms, the number was higher in hysterectomized women. Logistic regression analysis revealed that among hysterectomized women university education was less common odds ratios 0.73 (95% confidence interval 0.58–0.91) as well as working full time 0.76 (0.62–0.93). A higher body weight at the age 25, 1.01 (1.001–1.02) as well as a weight gain of more than 5 kg during the last 5 years 1.27 (1.07–1.50), elevation of serum triglycerides 1.29 (1.16–1.44), high-density (HDL) 1.44 (1.14–1.80) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol 1.11 (1.02–1.21) as well as the bone density 1.08 (1.00–1.17). Hysterectomized women had a lower age at giving first birth ( p < 0.001), shorter interval between menstrual periods ( p ≤ 0.001) and less frequent amenorrhic episodes ( p < 0.05). The hysterectomized women used IUD to a lesser extent ( p < 0.05) but used hormone therapy (HT) ( p < 0.001) and utilized health care services ( p < 0.001) more often. Conclusions Long after surgery, several somatic and psychological symptoms were still more common in hysterectomized women. A low frequency of amenorrhic episodes and lower age at giving first birth, concomitant with a higher body weight already at age 25 may imply that women who end up hysterectomized have a specific health profile long before as well as long after surgery.