Ovary removal may increase heart risk

BOSTON, Aug 01, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- A new study suggests that thousands of women die prematurely of heart disease because doctors removed their ovaries during hysterectomies.

The study, published Monday in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, suggests that women and their doctors should be more cautious about removing the ovaries during a hysterectomy because of the benefits that ovaries continue to provide well into middle age, the Boston Globe reported.

Even after menopause, ovaries secrete hormones that help keep bones strong and heart disease at bay.

The study said it is common medical practice to remove the ovaries of a woman older than 40 or 45 who has a hysterectomy, to eliminate the risk of ovarian cancer.

Researchers found that women whose ovaries had been removed between ages 50 and 54 were less likely to see their 80th birthdays than did those who had hysterectomies during those years but had kept their ovaries.

Dr. William H. Parker, the study's lead author, said as many as 18,000 women a year may die prematurely because of ovarian surgery,