Researchers from CHU de Rennes in France have found a link between hysterectomy and an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, especially in women under 45 years old.
The research team also found typical type 2 diabetes risk factors like high BMI and a sedentary lifestyle did not change the increased risk.
Hysterectomy is the second most common surgery for women in the United States. About 600,000 hysterectomies — the surgical removal of part or all of a woman’s uterusTrusted Source — are performed in the U.S. each year. Previous research has linked hysterectomies to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseaseTrusted Source, incident hypertension, and thyroid cancer.
Now, researchers from CHU de Rennes in Renne, France, have discovered a correlation between hysterectomy and increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes, especially among women under 45 years of age.
The research, which has not yet been peer reviewed and published, was recently presented at the 2022 European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting in Stockholm, Sweden. A woman’s uterus is either partially or completely removed during a hysterectomy. The uterus holds a fertilized eggTrusted Source until it develops into a fetus in preparation for birth. This organ also plays an active role in the menstrual cycleTrusted Source. Following a hysterectomy, the menstrual cycle stops and pregnancy is no longer possible. Additionally, a 2021 reviewTrusted Source notes that having a hysterectomy can increase the risk of experiencing early menopause.
Some of the most common reasons a person may elect to have a hysterectomy include:
heavy menstrual periods uterine fibroids
endometriosis adenomyosis uterine prolapse cancer of the uterus or other parts of the reproductive system
Depending on the reasons for a woman’s hysterectomy, sometimes other parts of the reproductive system are removed in addition to the uterus, including the ovariesTrusted Source and fallopian tubesTrusted Source.
An oophorectomyTrusted Source refers to the surgical removal of one or both ovaries. Get Real Answers to Your Diabetes Questions Tap into a powerful insights on type 2 diabetes management backed by a judgement-free community. Bezzy T2D: empowered by each other. What is type 2 diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease that renders the body unable to effectively use the insulin the pancreas produces, thus becoming insulin resistant.
