TUESDAY, Sept. 19, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Women with a history of premenopausal bilateral oophorectomy (PBO), with or without concurrent or preceding hysterectomy, have more chronic conditions in late midlife, according to a study published online Sept. 12 in Menopause.

Michelle M. Mielke, Ph.D., from Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and colleagues enrolled 274 women with PBO with or without concurrent or preceding hysterectomy and 240 referent women aged 55 years and older to examine the long-term effects of PBO on physical and cognitive function. The clinical visits took place at a median of 22 years after the PBO or index date.

At PBO, 59 and 41 percent of women were younger than 46 years and 46 to 49 years, respectively. The researchers found that women with a history of PBO at younger than 46 years had increased odds of arthritis, asthma, obstructive sleep apnea, and bone fractures compared with referents (odds ratios, 1.64, 1.74, 2.00, and 2.86, respectively), and they walked a shorter mean distance on a six-minute walk test (b = −18.43). Women with a history of PBO at age 46 to 49 years had increased odds of arthritis and obstructive sleep apnea compared with referents (odds ratios, 1.92 and 2.21, respectively). No significant differences were seen in cognitive status for women with PBO versus referents.

“These results highlight the potential negative long-term effects of premenopausal bilateral oophorectomy and are important for women at average risk for ovarian cancer to consider when weighing the risks and benefits of bilateral oophorectomy with or without hysterectomy before menopause,” Stephanie Faubion, M.D., medical director of the North American Menopause Society, said in a statement.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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