Women under 45 who have both ovaries surgically removed and do not subsequently receive estrogen therapy face a significantly elevated risk of early death, according to a study published in the October issue of The Lancet Oncology.
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, New York, led by neurologist and epidemiologist Walter Rocca, tracked more than 2,300 women who had undergone removal of one or both ovaries before menopause and compared their outcomes with nearly 2,400 women who had not had the procedure. Overall mortality rates were similar across groups, but women under 45 who lost both ovaries and went without estrogen therapy were 1.6 times more likely to die prematurely than their counterparts. The elevated risk of death from neurological conditions such as dementia and Parkinson's disease was 6.3 times higher. Cardiovascular disease and cancer were also leading causes.
Rocca's team cautioned that it remains unclear whether the surgery itself drives the higher mortality or whether it reflects an underlying health condition.
The researchers noted that ovarian removal remains appropriate when cancer or serious benign disease is present, and should be weighed carefully in older women or those with high genetic risk, including carriers of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene variants.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in September 2006, in its own words.