19 | The Ovaries Need the Uterus

Do the ovaries work without the uterus?

Although the ovaries and uterus work hand-in-hand (so to speak), for a long time we've thought that ovarian hormone production would continue more or less unchanged if someone needed to have a hysterectomy.

It turns out that removing the uterus does affect ovarian function.

In this episode, I share some of the newer studies looking at how hysterectomy affects ovarian function & hormone production, as well as some outstanding questions to consider.

The key takeaway point?

It's all connected.

The uterus and the ovaries are likely in close communication with each other.

We don't fully understand this relationship yet, but it's logical and fascinating.

As we learn more about physiology, I imagine we'll continue to uncover obvious-in-retrospect ways that different organs, systems, cells, and tissues interact with one another.

In the meantime, I view this as more evidence that bodies are complex and that our herbal, nutrition, diet and other recommendations may be working via multiple pathways. 

References

Atalay, M. A., Cetinkaya Demir, B., & Ozerkan, K. (2016). Change in the ovarian environment after hysterectomy with bilateral salpingectomy: Is it the technique or surgery itself? European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, 204, 57–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2016.07.483

Chun, S., & Ji, Y. I. (2020). Effect of Hysterectomy on Ovarian Reserve in the Early Postoperative Period Based on the Type of Surgery. Journal of Menopausal Medicine, 26(3), 159–164. https://doi.org/10.6118/jmm.20010

Iwase, A., Nakamura, T., Nakahara, T., Goto, M., & Kikkawa, F. (2014). Assessment of ovarian reserve using anti-Müllerian hormone levels in benign gynecologic conditions and surgical interventions: A systematic narrative review. Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology: RB&E, 12, 125. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7827-12-125

Moorman, P. G., Myers, E. R., Schildkraut, J. M., Iversen, E. S., Wang, F., & Warren, N. (2011). Effect of hysterectomy with ovarian preservation on ovarian function. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 118(6), 1271–1279. https://doi.org/10.1097/AOG.0b013e318236fd12

Singha, A., Saha, S., Bhattacharjee, R., Mondal, S., Choudhuri, S., Biswas, D., Das, S. K., Ghosh, S., Mukhopadhyay, S., & Chowdhury, S. (2016). DETERIORARON OF OVARIAN FUNCTION AFTER TOTAL ABDOMINAL HYSTERECTOMY WITH PRESERVARON OF OVARIES. Endocrine Practice: Official Journal of the American College of Endocrinology and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, 22(12), 1387–1392. https://doi.org/10.4158/EP161215.OR

Trabuco, E. C., Moorman, P. G., Algeciras-Schimnich, A., Weaver, A. L., & Cliby, W. A. (2016). Association of Ovary-Sparing Hysterectomy With Ovarian Reserve. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 127(5), 819–827. https://doi.org/10.1097/AOG.0000000000001398

Yuan, Z., Cao, D., Bi, X., Yu, M., Yang, J., & Shen, K. (2019). The effects of hysterectomy with bilateral salpingectomy on ovarian reserve. International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics: The Official Organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, 145(2), 233–238. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijgo.12798

 

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