Trends in hospitalizations for abnormal uterine bleeding in the United States: 1980-1992

We examined trends in hospital discharges, length of hospital stay, and procedures performed for abnormal uterine bleeding from 1980 through 1992. We used data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey. Discharges involving patients with reproductive tract cancers or pregnancy-related diagnoses were excluded. The overall discharge rate for abnormal uterine bleeding decreased 66% during the study period, from 56 discharges per 10,000 women in 1980 to 19 per 10,000 in 1992. The discharge rate declined significantly for hospitalizations during which hysterectomy was not performed and remained relatively stable for hospitalizations with hysterectomy. Discharge rates decreased among all age and race groups and in all geographic regions. The percentages of discharges following hysterectomy steadily increased from 25% in 1980 to 72% in 1992. The average length of stay decreased significantly only for discharges for stays during which hysterectomy was performed, from 7.6 days in 1980 to 3.7 days in 1992. During the study period, abnormal uterine bleeding contributed to more than 5 million hospitalizations, 2 million hysterectomies, and 20 million hospital days. Our findings are consistent with a decreased likelihood of hospitalization for abnormal uterine bleeding if hysterectomy was not performed and shorter hospital stays for women undergoing hysterectomy for bleeding. These findings highlight the impact of abnormal uterine bleeding on the U.S. health care system.