Must Read: Removal Of Ovaries During Hysterectomy Increases Risk Of Deadly Diseases? Find Out Here!

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 A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Warwick has found a link between the removal of ovaries during hysterectomy and an increase in the risk of developing heart disease, cancer, and even premature death. The study - the largest to ever be conducted on the subject, covered a ten year period.

The researchers compared the data of women who were treated for a benign disease and had both ovaries removed with the data of women who had one or none removed. They analyzed 113,679 cases of women who are between the age of 35-45 within the period April 2004 to March 2014 with a third of the study participants having no ovary as both have been removed.

The researchers found that women who had one or no ovaries removed were less likely to develop ischemic heart disease or cancer after hysterectomy compared to those who had both ovaries removed. They also discovered that fewer women (0.6percent) who retained one or both ovaries died within the duration of the study compared to those who had both removed (1.01 percent), according to Science Daily.

Even though the removal of both ovaries could protect against the development of ovarian cancer, the study authors believe that premenopausal women should be informed that the benefit comes at a cost of an increased risk of cardiovascular and other diseases and higher overall mortality rate. "The combination of biological plausibility and the massive effect size make a compelling case that women can be advised that their risk of ovarian cancer is greatly reduced by surgical removal of both ovaries," lead author and professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Chair in Public Health at the University of Warwick's Warwick Medical School, Richard Lilford said.

But he added that the lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer is one in 52 in the United Kingdom and the removal of such an active organ may have a harmful impact in the long run. In the nationwide study, the researchers analyzed a national database of hospital admissions and merged it to the national register of deaths.

Unlike the previous studies on the topic, it examined the relationship between operation type and subsequent hospital admissions alongside mortality rate. The researchers discovered that 40 percent of women with no specific risk factors for reproductive cancer had their ovaries removed during the process of abdominal hysterectomy between the age of 35 and 45, Medical Express.

The researchers described the figure as a higher proportion than what is expected of women who are aware of the health outcomes of bilateral removal of the ovaries. In addition, the researchers noticed a slight decline in the number of hysterectomies performed with up to 9,000 women who underwent the process for a benign condition in the target age range in 2014, compared to up to 13,000 in 2004-2005.

Among the shortcomings of the study, the researchers noted that the data available to them was not as detailed as they would have wanted it to be, as they lacked details on the use of hormone replacement therapy. But however, they plan to re-examine the culprit in the future in order to examine trends over a longer period of time. The researchers published the findings of the study in the BMJ.