{"id":35558,"date":"2023-05-30T01:29:46","date_gmt":"2023-05-29T19:59:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=35558"},"modified":"2025-04-21T08:50:38","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T03:20:38","slug":"what-is-hysterectomy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/what-is-hysterectomy\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Hysterectomy?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>What\u2019s in today\u2019s article?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Why in News?<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>What is Hysterectomy?<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Criteria for Getting a Hysterectomy<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Health Risks Associated with Hysterectomy<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Hysterectomy in India<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Challenges Associated with Hysterectomy in India<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>What Measures has the Government Taken So Far?<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>News Summary<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Why in News?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The Union Health Ministry has recently urged State Governments to audit hysterectomy trends in public and private hospitals.<\/li>\n<li>This was done in response to a Supreme Court petition arguing that women from marginalised locations are at risk of unjustified hysterectomies for economic gains and exploitation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What is Hysterectomy?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>A hysterectomy is a <strong><u>surgical procedure that removes the uterus (womb)<\/u><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>After surgery, woman can\u2019t become pregnant and no longer menstruate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Criteria for Getting a Hysterectomy<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>After caesarean deliveries, hysterectomies are the second-most frequent procedure in women of the reproductive age group.<\/li>\n<li>Reasons for this surgery include <strong>abnormal bleeding<\/strong>, <strong>uterine prolapse<\/strong>, <strong>fibroids<\/strong> and <strong>cancer<\/strong>.\n<ul>\n<li>In some cases, <strong>oophorectomy<\/strong>, the removal of ovaries (the primary source of oestrogen), is also frequently performed, which is a form of surgical menopause and linked to several chronic conditions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The highest percentage of hysterectomies (51.8%) were to treat excessive menstrual bleeding or pain.<\/li>\n<li>It&#8217;s more common for <strong>women aged 40 to 50<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\n<h2><strong>Health Risks Associated with Hysterectomy<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>There is evidence about the long-term effects of hysterectomy \u2013 both with or without oophorectomy (removal of ovaries).<\/li>\n<li>A 2022 review of 29 studies found a correlation between hysterectomy and chronic diseases including an <strong><u>increased risk of cardiovascular events, cancers, depression, metabolic disorders, and dementia<\/u><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>In India, hysterectomies in women above 45 years of age were associated with <strong><u>hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes and bone disease<\/u><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>More than 45% of the 13,861 women in Beed, Maharashtra who had undergone hysterectomies experienced <strong><u>aching joints, back pain, depression, and insomnia, among other side effects<\/u><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\n<h2><strong>Hysterectomy in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The average age at which hysterectomies are conducted among Indian women is <strong>34<\/strong>, per community-based studies.<\/li>\n<li>In comparison, high income countries allow this procedure for women aged above <strong>45<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Most surgeries happen in private hospitals (33,559 procedures) as opposed to government hospitals (11, 875).<\/li>\n<li>A majority of these cases are reported among socially and economically disadvantaged women.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\n<h2><strong>Challenges Associated with Hysterectomy in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Wombless Women \u2013<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Also, contractors in unorganised sectors such as the sugar-cane-cutting industry misuse hysterectomy, where \u2018<strong>wombless women<\/strong>\u2019 are the norm to <strong><u>eliminate the need for menstrual care and hygiene among workers<\/u><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Lack of Awareness \u2013<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The gap thrives in a culture where gynaecological care and disorders \u2014 outside of pregnancy \u2014 exist in oblivion.<\/li>\n<li>Some reports show \u201crasoli\u201d \u2014 indicating a tumour or growth\u2014 is often cited as a reason for hysterectomies in medical documents.<\/li>\n<li>These may be benign growths, manageable by conducting investigative tests and undertaking alternative treatments.<\/li>\n<li>A 2017 study from Gujarat found <strong><u>most women assumed that the uterus served no role outside of pregnancy<\/u><\/strong> and that removing the uterus would solve their health issues.<\/li>\n<li>Moreover, medical ailments are not adequately investigated due to lack of resources, unawareness about gynaecological diseases and misinformation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\n<h2><strong>What Measures has the Government Taken So Far?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Union Health Ministry Guidelines \u2013<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong><u>Union Health Ministry in 2022 issued guidelines to prevent unnecessary hysterectomies<\/u><\/strong> \u2014 listing possible indications of when hysterectomy may be required and alternative clinical treatments for gynaecological issues.<\/li>\n<li>They recommended <strong><u>setting up district, State-level and national hysterectomy monitoring committees<\/u><\/strong> which to collect data on age, mortality, and occupations, among other details.<\/li>\n<li>In particular, the guidelines emphasise that <strong><u>authorities should report hysterectomies conducted for women less than 40 years of age<\/u><\/strong> and incorporate the reason for hysterectomy.<\/li>\n<li>All States and Union Territories were asked to adopt the Guidelines within three months and report compliance to MoHFW.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana \u2013<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The government\u2019s flagship health insurance programme provides <strong><u>health cover of Rs. 5 lakhs for 1,949 procedures\u2014 including hysterectomies<\/u><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>The government has authorised more than 45,000 hospitals to conduct these operations and also developed two standard treatment guidelines for hysterectomy-related procedures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Blacklisting of Certain Hospitals \u2013<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Under the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010, hospitals and healthcare facilities found to have coerced women into hysterectomies without informed consent can be blacklisted.<\/li>\n<li>The Centre told the Supreme Court that several hospitals were blacklisted and FIRs were filed against facilities that violated norms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>News Summary<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>A petition was filed in the Supreme Court w.r.t. Hysterectomy.<\/li>\n<li>The petitioner, Dr Narendra Gupta, argued that despite the provisions, private hospitals in Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan engaged in unethical practices and unnecessary procedures.<\/li>\n<li>The petitioner argued that that women from marginalised locations are at risk of unjustified hysterectomies for economic gains and exploitation.<\/li>\n<li>The Chief Justice of India, <strong>D.Y. Chandrachud<\/strong>, suggested that hysterectomies for those under 40 should be conducted on approval by two certified doctors.<\/li>\n<li>The Supreme Court, while hearing the petition, <strong><u>gave a three-month deadline to States and Union Territories, directing them to implement the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2022<\/u><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Q1) How does Vasectomy work?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>A vasectomy works by stopping sperm getting into a man&#8217;s semen. The tubes that carry sperm from a man&#8217;s testicles to the penis are cut, blocked or sealed with heat. This means that when a man ejaculates, the semen has no sperm in it and a woman&#8217;s egg can&#8217;t be fertilised.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Q2) What is the meaning of Total Fertility Rate (TFR)?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) &#8212; which is the average number of children who would be born to any women in her lifetime. As per the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey, or NFHS-5, India\u2019s TFR has declined from 2.2 in 2015-16 to 2.0 in 2019-21.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Source:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/health\/explained-what-has-india-done-to-curb-unnecessary-hysterectomies\/article66863394.ece#:~:text=The%20Union%20Health%20Ministry%20in,clinical%20treatments%20for%20gynaecological%20issues\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>Explained | What has India done to curb unnecessary hysterectomies?<\/u><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/economictimes.indiatimes.com\/news\/india\/health-ministry-moves-to-curb-unjustified-uterus-removals\/articleshow\/100286609.cms?from=mdr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>ET<\/u><\/a> \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A hysterectomy is a surgical procedure that removes the uterus (womb).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":35559,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-35558","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35558"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35558\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}