Hysterectomy Age Limits: What You Need to Know

There are no minimum ages for a woman to get a hysterectomy. In fact, you may be surprised by just how young women who have hysterectomies are; the average age is 42, according to National Women's Health Information Center. Though this surgery may be deemed medically necessary at various ages, there are age-related considerations.

Basics

Hysterectomy, whereby some or all of the uterus (as well as fallopian tubes and/or ovaries) is removed, is the second-most common surgery for women in the United States, after C-sections, according to the women's health information center. As evidenced by the average age in which a woman has this procedure, most hysterectomy patients are on the younger end of the spectrum; according to the American College of Surgeons, 75 percent of all such patients are between the ages of 20 to 49.

Menopause

If it's not medically necessary, you are in the more fortunate position of being able to weigh your pros and cons. An age-related consideration, according to the NWHIC, is that of menopause; if you opt to keep your ovaries, and you are not yet menopausal, you will enter this stage of life earlier than you would have without the procedure. If you opt to have your ovaries removed during the procedure, you will enter into menopause immediately. The center reports you need to be prepared for how to control your new symptoms, including hot flashes.

Uterine Fibroids

Though the Mayo Clinic reports these common tumors are not cancerous, they are usually painful and, in turn, the leading cause of hysterectomies. If uterine fibroids are the reason you have this procedure, your age could run the gamut. The Mayo Clinic reports there are very few known risk factors, other than "of reproductive age." Interestingly enough, black women with fibroids are typically younger, and their tumors are typically bigger than that of their white counterparts.

Other Causes

Typically, Mayo Clinic reports, endometriosis occurs many years after a woman first starts to have her period. Infertility is typically a symptom of this disease, whereby the lining of the uterus grows outside of the organ. That said, fertility is often not a consideration when weighing whether or not to have a hysterectomy in this case. Ovarian cancer is another common reason a woman has a hysterectomy. According to the Mayo Clinic, your chances of getting this type of cancer increase as you age with most woman being diagnosed after menopause. In this case, the surgery may be deemed medically necessary.