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Elective oophorectomy in the gynecological patient: when is it desirable?
William H Parker1, Donna Shoupe, Michael S Broder
1UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA. wparker@ucla.edu
Purpose Of Review:
Oophorectomy is electively performed in approximately 300,000 US women per year who are having hysterectomy for benign disease.
Recent Findings:
New studies have suggested that elective oophorectomy may not be advisable for the majority of women, as it may lead to a higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease and hip fracture, and may result in a higher incidence of dementia and Parkinson's disease. Women with known BRCA 1/2 germ-line mutations clearly benefit from oophorectomy after childbearing.
Summary:
Prophylactic oophorectomy should be undertaken with caution in the majority of women with an average risk of ovarian cancer who are having a hysterectomy for benign disease.
