Are hysterectomies necessary?

Hysterectomy is a most useful surgical procedure. However, its indiscriminate performance has made this procedure suspect and it is being scrutinized at all levels of health care. Recent studies show that hysterectomy should be carried out for medical reasons ascertained by the gynecologist and not at the whim of a patient.The Hysterectomy Committee of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan studied hysterectomies in Saskatchewan over the period 1970-1975. This committee consisted of two obstetrician gynecologists, a surgical pathologist, a social worker, a systems analyst, a medical student, a physician from the Medical Care Insurance Commission of Saskatchewan and a family physician.