The Hysterectomy Hoax

From the first page of this remarkably readable work, West, an infertility specialist and chief of reproductive endocrinology at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City, takes a stand against hysterectomies--the removal of the uterus. Working in collaboration with writer Dranov, he offers a powerful critique of the standard medical practice of performing hysterectomies as a panacea for a wide range of conditions, from uterine fibroids and PMS to endometriosis. West believes that in virtually all cases, except when a woman has cancer, the medical procedure is unnecessary. Indeed, according to the author, more than 90% of the 600,000 hysterectomies performed in the U.S. each year are unneeded. In addition to explaining how almost all such disorders can be corrected without the removal of the woman's uterus and/or ovaries, West describes how a woman's reproductive system normally functions. The author includes a lively discussion of how the traditional medical establishment and insurance companies exacerbate the situation by encouraging women to undergo unnecessary hysterectomies. The chapters covering problems for which hysterectomies are often recommended treatment, such as ovarian cysts, end with questions for women to ask their doctors about less invasive therapies. West attributes the over-use of the procedure to four factors: medical complacency; unawareness of the potential aftermath of hysterectomy; medical sexism; and a lack of communication between doctor and patient. He believes that ``a well-informed woman who understands her own body and how it works has an enormous advantage.'' And his book has the information women need. (Jan.)