Can you imagine a country where the sex organs are removed from 622,000 mothers, sisters, daughters, lovers, and friends each year? That country is the United States of America.
Sign the Petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/saynotilyouknow/
Join thousands of women and men and sign the Petition to make sure that every woman and girl who is told she needs surgery to remove female sex organs is provided with the HERS Foundation’s educational DVD “Female Anatomy: the Functions of the Female Organs.” The purpose of the DVD is to inform women that the adverse effects of removing reproductive sex organs is anything but routine, and yet no other part of the human anatomy is removed as frequently as
the uterus and ovaries. Hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus, a hormone-responsive reproductive sex organ with lifelong functions that are essential to a woman’s health and wellbeing. Oophorectomy is the surgical removal of the ovaries, the female gonads, which is performed on an average of 75% of women at the time of hysterectomy. The medically correct term for removal of the gonads is castration. There are 22 million living women in this country whose reproductive sex organs have been removed. A statistically insignifi cant number of men have their sex organs removed, although the rate of cancer in the male and female organs is nearly identical. In a HERS survey of women’s experiences with hysterectomy, 99.7% report that doctors neglected to inform women or lied to them about the well-documented adverse effects of the surgery. There simply is no informed consent until basic information about female anatomy is provided to women. Therefore,
almost all surgeries to remove the uterus and ovaries are unconsented.
Typically women are asked to sign a consent form that lists the procedure to be performed and the most common risks of any major surgery. The proposed surgery is written-in on the consent form as “exploratory surgery and possible
TAH BSO” (total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy), which means that the uterus and ovaries may be removed during the surgery. Many women are told that they are only consenting to exploratory surgery, but the word “possible” gives doctors permission to remove the reproductive sex organs and creates a legal loophole that protects doctors and hospitals from legal claims. It is not customary to remove organs during other types of exploratory surgery, and yet it
is common during exploratory surgery of the female organs. So women and girls are specifi cally at risk. Furthermore, women are often told to sign the consent form after they have been sedated just minutes before
the surgery.
Clearly, the consent form process itself does not work and is deeply fl awed. No woman should be asked to consider consenting to exploratory surgery or the removal of her uterus or ovaries until she is provided with information about female anatomy and the functions of her reproductive sex organs.
No information? No consent!
Sign the Petition to enact laws compelling every doctor to provide HERS’ new educational DVD “Female Anatomy: the Functions of the Female Organs” to every woman and girl who is told she needs pelvic surgery, including exploratory surgery,
hysterectomy, or oophorectomy.
Who would deny a woman the right to know?
Watch the DVD at www.hersfoundation.org, click on “Female Anatomy”
HERS Foundation
Phone 610-667-7757
It's so good to hear stories on the true damage done by these mostly unnecessary surgeries. It is diabolical when doctors deliberately fabricate cancer to trick unsuspecting women into these barbaric mutilations. I was one of those unsuspecting women, and my life has been totally destroyed by a badly botched, totally unnecessary radical hysterectomy at a teaching hospital training how to do laparoscopic surgery. They lied and said they had done hundreds when in reality they were training so they could get a promotion. These atrocious surgical crimes must be exposed to women throughout the world or they could very well be the next victim of this surgical racket…
an addendum to my above comment..Not implying that these surgeries are women's fault…Just saying we have to get mad and signing the petition is a must for anyone outraged by this treatment of women.
In response to your comment Josephine …..It's all about scaring a person, to get them to agree. It's nothing short of implied threats to create a coercive atmosphere……This fear-mongering practice has taken on a whole new look..It is called Genetic testing….Although the "standard of care" to remove a BRCA+ ovaries is 40 years old for BRCA1 and 45 years old for BRCA2….doctors are 'jumping the gun' and doing these surgeries on women in their 30's…with the fear-mongering of ovarian cancer doom and gloom….Ovarian cancer is bad…but so are other cancers. More men die of Prostate cancer than ALL female gynecologic cancers COMBINED…but they are not offering prophylactic prostatectomies…..Men aren't an easy target like women…(Did you read the recent story about the man who shot the urologist in Reno because of a botched up vasectomy…)Men would not allow doctors to get by with what women allow them to get by with….
Now that I have been "offered" a hysterectomy as a cure for what might be a problem, I am very much reminded of the institutional sexism I encountered in the medical birth industry. It's all about scaring a person, to get them to agree. It's nothing short of implied threats to create a coercive atmosphere. And the doc acts so indignant when I not only don't fall for that but have the audacity to get angry.
YES–it is castration! I am so thankful–no grateful that I am not the only one who realizes that. I am glad I found this blog.
Theresa,
It's great that you found another doctor who performed a myomectomy (I think you meant myomectomy!) rather than a hysterectomy!
You mentioned that the doctor who said that hysterectomy was your only choice was a male, which implies that a female gynecologist may offer conservative treatment. Unfortunately, that has not been true. It is especially disappointing, and more dangerous for women, because many women expect that they will receive better treatment from a female gynecologist than they would from a male. Now that 98% of gynecology residents are female, there are more hysterectomies being recommended than were by male gynecologists.
The good news is that more women realize that they need information about alternatives when a hysterectomy is recommended. Many women are discovering that they do not need a hysterectomy, or any surgery. When women have access to more information about the common symptoms and conditions hysterectomies have been done, the majority of women realize they do not have a medical problem and they do not need surgery of any kind.
Luckily I changed my doctor, who was male and insisting there was no choice but a Hysterectomy to remove an extremely large fibroid.
My new doctor offered an hysteroscopic mammomactory, performed under a general anesthetic took 3 hours, but less than one week later,my abdomen and my digestive systems feel so different.Seeing your video reinforced my decision not to go for the standard options, I asked questions on the effect of my sex life and digestive system but was told by Doc No 1, no info available.
Keep up the good work and spread the word!
You never need a hysterectomy for fibroids unless you have the wrong doctor. You can go to the HERS website at http://www.hersfoundation.org and click on "Contact" in the navigation bar at the top of the Home page. HERS will email information to you.
On HERS Home page scroll down to the link "Fibroids". You can also contact HERS at 610.667.7757 to schedule a telephone appointment to speak with a counselor, and obtain a physician referral.
I have yet not had surgery yet the dr told me I had several fibroids and the only way to get rid of them is to have my uterus removed which I'm scared .that I will keep my ovaries.ever since I have done tons of research thru internet.I live in a very small town and would have to go to San Antonio .I been having back pains and my left side hurts.I don't know what to do?I'm scared that I will have bowel problems and so on.they keep telling me I will be fine,I don't think so!what to do don't know help need advice soon! My uterus is 3times the size
What can I say? It was lucky I was booked on a flight to the States (I live in Australia) My specialist wanted to do a hysterectomy as I had some unusual growth coming from my cervix (not cancer) and I said no, I am going to the States and I worked out myself to go off Livial (a menopause drug) and by the time a got back and had another check I was fine. I think the dr was a bit surprised that I was so determined and I surprised myself as well as normally I would pretty much just go along with what a dr said.
I had a total abdominal hysterectomy and the removal of one of my ovaries and fallopian tubes. Like many other women, I was not informed of any of the life-long complications that I now suffer, including chronic pelvic pain, bowel and bladder problems, sexual dysfunction and surgical menopause. Although not every doctor shares the values and attitudes that lead to unnecessary hysterectomies with misinformed consent, it is considered unprofessional for a doctor to criticize a college. This is one of the main reasons why the practice continues into the 21st century. Hysterectomies for benign conditions are gynecological lobotomies. It is the ultimate abuse and exploitation of women.
Benji from Australia
I am so glad that there are some honest people out there. Thank God!
You know for the past 5 years I had been dealing with heavy periods and such and was just determined to know why. My obgyn doctor soo wanted to perform a hysterectomy on me. He performed a dnc in which i was willing to try because the regular birth control pills did not start out well with me. the thing that I really disliked is that he knew the dnc was not going to help with the heavy periods.now i am a 42 year old woman who had my tubes tide after having four c-sections. how you like that? these quacks have been just having a hayday with my reproductive organs. I regret having my tubes tide, regret having ignorant doctors who are just happy to perform all these unnessary c-sections. While I probably could never prove that my c-sections were unwarrented, I still feel it was wrong. My mothers and sisters never had c-sections. This just put me in a position where I felt I had to have my tubes tied because 4 c-sections was just too many. No, matter a fact I was inform by the doctor who was going to deliver my baby that my health was at wrisk if I have another baby after the forth. Sixteen years ago, but like yesterday, I feel I was just set up to have a c-section with my first child. when I arrive at the hospital they told me to get in bed don't eat or drink anything don't walk around. They place the fetal heart monitor on my belly and when the baby did not come when they wanted it to come, then, I was told something about the FHR fluctuating up and down. that the baby could be in danger and that was it! Not knowing years latter i was was going to have more problems with my reproductive system, I feel to day I am doing better. I discovered that the depo shot was right for me. I was already given the provera(pills) by an emergency room doctor when I first started with this heavy bleeding. I can understand when a women goes through this and it appears that many are, and no one is explaining to them what is going on with there bodies! Women need to be informed more about what is going on with their body!Doctors have a responsabilty to do this, but insteady many of them are like the fat cats on wall street just taking advantage of people lack of knowledge. while they are being paid to inform their patients. I am glad that I did not resort to having a Hysterectomy. After all I have already been butchered. I have searched the internet and have found that there are many options for women who find themselves in my position. Through the internet, I found out that I could have and ablation performed, but even better there are medications that will thin out the uterus in which my doctor did mention just slightly.I sense that once the dnc prove to not work he thought I was going to go back running to him, but I risk my health and stayed home rested until I figured out what was going on with my body (No one was just spelling it out). I even feel like the doctor who first gave me the provera pills knew what was going on with my reproduction organs. He did say a few things that I did not understand. I was still thrown to the wolves because I left my obgyn to go to another doctor and he's like "back to your doctor and let him decide>" I had already told my obgyn doctor that the provera had helped me, so why didn't he introduce to me the mini pill or the dep provera which is what has halted my bleeding problem in it's tracks.I had to call him and tell him to give me the depo provera. I did not even want to look in to his face. So I had the medication called in to the pharmacy. I feel so much better because I thought i was dying. I can image there are many women out there who started out with my same problem and the doctor just suggested that they go ahead and have the whole thing remove. That is sad! Its got to be a hormone problem because it was the hormones(whether synthetic or not) that stopped me from the bleeding. I know some family members and friends that has had a hysterectomy. It has taken me five years to finally realize what is going on with my body. I have suffered with anemia (hemaglobin 8.5)just weakness. I had to pop a lot of iron pills and take time off from work.I Hope these words help somebody out there and I hope those who are practicing deceit be exposed, and in any case be made to pay for the damages! Women need to be given clear and informed choices about their bodies!
I am so physically damaged by a hysterectomy that it would take hours to explain the torture of my health now. It is absurd that I would have had to find the, hersfoundation, on the internet, to have saved myself from a deceiptful hysterectomy and a life-long set of problems caused by it.
I guess only women with internet saavy can save themselves from this trickery by doctors called hysterectomy.
Dear hersfoundation…I wish I would have found your site on the internet before I was so damaged by a hysterectomy. The obgyn doctor lied to me and my husband and removed my healthy organs. I have a life long set of problems now, and the doctors lined their pockets with my healthy sex organs, by legal deceipt.