The United States has the highest hysterectomy rate in the industrialized world. Statistics from 2004 indicate that about one-third of all U.S. women have had a hysterectomy by the age of 60. Today, about 90 percent of hysterectomies are done by choice and not as an emergency or lifesaving procedure. Various studies have concluded that anywhere from 10 percent to 90 percent of those operations were not really needed, but many physicians continue to recommend them.

In certain circumstances, hysterectomies save lives and restore health. However, … More