Hysterectomy rates have fallen over the past eight years, as less-invasive alternatives grow in use, according to national health data. or signup to continue reading More than 24,000 women had a hysterectomy for non-cancer reasons in 2021-22 - a 20 per cent decline from 2014-15, a Women's Health Focus report, released on Thursday, found. The report, from the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, said endometrial ablation, which is the removal of the uterus lining using heat, has increased by 10 per cent in the same period.
The commission's clinical director Liz Marles said this showed women might be opting to have less-invasive procedures to manage heavy periods. "We have also seen greater awareness of this as an issue, and hopefully that's translated into more conversations between health professionals and patients about heavy periods and what can be done to treat them," Professor Marles told AAP. One in four women experience heavy periods but about half of those them do not seek medical care.
Prof Marles said women should see a doctor if their periods impacted their lives. "There's probably a lack of awareness that there are really simple and effective treatment options for this," she said. "And when we talk about what's abnormal - it's having to modify your life around your periods, we should really be able to get on with it and do whatever we need to do without that being the dictator of our lives.
" Rates of hysterectomy were higher among Aboriginal .
