SAN DIEGO — Women who underwent bilateral oophorectomy at the time of hysterectomy reported significantly decreased levels of sexual functioning compared with women who underwent hysterectomy with ovarian conservation, results from a survey of 50 women showed.
The findings underscore the potential impact of prophylactic ovary removal on women's sexual functioning, Elizabeth Plourde, Ph.D., said during a poster session at the annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society.
“The potential for loss of ability to respond sexually is a very important consideration for women who are being advised to do prophylactic oophorectomy,” said Dr. Plourde, a psychologist in Irvine, Calif. She and her associates asked 25 women who underwent hysterectomy with ovarian conservation and 25 women who underwent bilateral oophorohysterectomy to complete the Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire–Female (CSFQ-F) and the Sexual Response Questionnaire–Hysterectomy (SRQ-H). The mean age of the respondents was 49 years.
Only women with functioning ovaries, based on their responses to a survey of menopause symptoms, were retained for the hysterectomy-only group, she said.
Compared with women who underwent a hysterectomy with ovarian conservation, those who underwent bilateral oophorectomy at the time of hysterectomy had significantly lower scores in total sexual functioning and in the subscale aspects of pleasure, desire/frequency and desire/interest; the number who were orgasmic was also lower among those who had bilateral oophorectomy.
Significant interactions favoring the hysterectomy with ovarian conservation group were also detected before and after surgery in total sexual functioning scores and in the subscales of pleasure, desire/frequency, desire/interest, and orgasm/completion.
Dr. Plourde acknowledged that the small sample size was a limitation of the study. She disclosed no conflicts of interest.