I know they are done unnecessarily (along with the NECESSARY ones–duh!) because I’ve had more than one doctor offer to do one on me. I have PCOS–that was undiagnosed for years by lazy doctors who didn’t want to mess with testing me. They offered to ‘get rid of the problem’ by doing a total hyster on me before age 30. That, or take birth control pills, those were the options I was given. Once I finally found a competent doctor, it was as simple as doing enough tests to find the problem, then prescribing a simple pill I take daily (NOT birth control!). But if I would have listened to the other docs, I would be sterile for NO REASON.
And I know it has happened to others. I have had several women tell me they had hysters just because they started menopause, so their doc said they better ‘take it out before it caused problems–then you can start your hormone replacement’. We need to find out about our health issues, and get second, and even third opinions. Many surgeries are unnecessary, and hysters with no diagnosis of cancer are right up there on the list. So what is next–I have a stomachache, so remove the entire digestive system? A headache–so take the brain out? Many gyn problems can be fixed by competent specialists, like reproductive endocrinologists, without surgery. That was my point. You do not have to take it all out just because there is a problem–there are other treatments available, but most people blindly follow their docs who push surgery instead of finding out their options. Just like people vote without knowing all the facts. We are turning into a country of sheep, and that is just pathetic.