Oophorectomy and Cardiovascular Risk

Long-term CVD mortality rates were significantly higher in women who had undergone premenopausal bilateral oophorectomy than in a nonsurgical comparator group.

Approximately 600,000 U.S. women undergo bilateral oophorectomy annually, with about half the surgeries aimed at preventing ovarian cancer. However, oophorectomy is associated with excess long-term risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). To reveal the effects of oophorectomy on mortality, investigators analyzed death certificate data from more than 2300 women who underwent unilateral or bilateral oophorectomy before menopause in Olmsted County, Minnesota. Median follow-up was 25 years in the bilateral oophorectomy group, 30 years in the unilateral group, and 26 years for age-matched comparators (women who had not undergone oophorectomy).

Mortality from all causes was similar in women who underwent bilateral oophorectomy and in the comparator …

Reviewing Author

Ann J. Davis, MD

Oophorectomy and Cardiovascular Risk

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Reviewing Author