BJOG Release: Does Being Overweight Or Obese Increase Subsequent Hysterectomy Risk?

Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology;  Pregnancy / Obstetrics
Article Date: 16 Jan 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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New research to be published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology has found that women who are overweight from the age of 36 and those who are obese from the age of 43 and 53 have a higher risk of hysterectomy than underweight and normal-weight women.

The study, from the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD), is one of few to examine weight over time and subsequent hysterectomy risk.

Researchers employed information from the MRC NSHD, also known as the 1946 British birth cohort, a group of 5362 men and women followed up since their births in the first week of March 1946 until age 57. In total 1790 women were included in this study and the findings were independent of the number of children delivered, age at first period and socio-economic position.

At all ages of BMI measurement, women who were underweight had lower rates of hysterectomy than those with a higher BMI. Women who were overweight had higher rates of hysterectomy than those of normal weight from age 36, and women who were obese had higher rates than those of normal weight from age 43. The study also found that greater increases of weight between the ages of 36 to 53 years carried increased rates of hysterectomy in later life.

Women who were obese in adolescence and early adulthood had lower rates of hysterectomy than those of normal weight, however very few of those included were obese at this stage of life. Results showed that there was no correlation between BMI in childhood and subsequent hysterectomy.

Dr Rachel Cooper, of the MRC research team, said: "We found that women who were overweight in their 20s or 30s and women who gained more weight than others in midlife were more likely to have a hysterectomy." However she cautioned: "These findings relate to women born in the early post war period. The relationship between weight and hysterectomy may not be the same among women born more recently. Overweight and obesity are now more common and hysterectomy has become less popular with the introduction of alternative treatments for the gynaecological problems that many women experience."

Professor Philip Steer, BJOG editor-in-chief, said: "There are many health difficulties associated with obesity and the MRC study shows that, particularly after the age of 36, being overweight or obese can be linked to hysterectomy in later life. There are risks associated with hysterectomy and these are heightened if the patient is obese. With a growing prevalence of obesity in the community, the MRC study findings are a cause of concern."

Notes

BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology is owned by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) but is editorially independent and published monthly by Blackwell Publishing. The journal features original, peer-reviewed, high-quality medical research in all areas of obstetrics and gynaecology worldwide. Please quote ' BJOG' or ' BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology ' when referring to the journal. This month's BJOG is a special edition focused on issues regarding the long-term health of women and their babies.

Reference

Cooper R, Hardy R, Kuh D. Is adiposity across life associated with subsequent hysterectomy risk? Findings from the 1946 British birth cohort study. BJOG 2008; 115:184-192.

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists