Study: Hysterectomy should avoid healthy ovaries

April 21, 2009 New research claims removing healthy ovaries may put women at higher risk of death from heart disease and lung cancer.

Doctors have recommended for decades that women who get a hysterectomy consider having their ovaries also taken out to prevent ovarian cancer. But a study in the May issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology says routine removal is not a good idea.

Though the risk for ovarian cancer declined after ovary removal, researchers say, the risk of heart disease and stroke for women under 50 nearly doubled.