Customer Reviews

The Hysterectomy Hoax: The Truth About Why Many Hysterectomies Are Unnecessary and How to Avoid Them, 3rd Edition

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Read this book before you agree to having a hysterectomy. I have had two doctors recommend that I undergo hysterectomy. I refuse. A woman's uterus is her vital female organ, and there is no reason to have it removed unless there is cancer present. Find a physician who is skilled at performing myomectomies, or consider embolization, but don't let them cut out your uterus. Dr. West gives clear, eye-opening information, and much detail to allow a woman to make an informed decision. Dr. West also gives important information about the after-effects of having a hysterectomy. This is one of the most important books that a woman will ever read.

I was fortunate to have read this book before my surgery in 2001. 2 Gyns were sure I needed a hysterctompy but I insisted on open abdomen myomectomy and asked my surgeon to do everything in his power to take only the fibroids. I came out of surgery with my uterus; minus a 4 lb. 20 cm. fibroid...ONLY ONE!!! This book gave me the courage and the fortitude to discuss my options with my gyn and ask many questions...questions that my gyn wasn't as receptive as he should have been...but he honored my decision. Dr. West provides insight into a topic that women must be educated about. Indeed, he is right, hysterctomy is a hoax...in most cases it's not necessary. Perhaps it happens as often as it does, because surgeons are not trained to save a womans organs. I commend any gyn who has the courage to learn how to avoid hysterectomy. My gyn will forever be my number one!!!!

I thought that I knew what the downsides of hysterectomy could be since so many of my friends have had to submit to one and I've done some reading here and there. But I learned a great deal more from this book. The title sounds a little alarmist, but the actual writeup is very thoughtful and well-supported information.

Odd title for a review, right? Well, please read on, and you'll soon see why I called it that...
In 1996, at the age of 24, I was told by an expert Ob-Gyn that my uterus would not ever be, as he put it, "an instrument of birth.." I was miserable. This "expert" also told me that, due to my uterus' condition (I had HUGE fibroid tumors, which are NON-malignant growths that occur in roughly 20% of every woman's womb) , I'd never even be able to conceive,since I was incapable of ovulating, so birth control was "unnecessary"....
Trying to make lemonade out of some pretty sour lemons, I came home and told my then-boyfriend, "well, the good news is, you don't have to use condoms anymore!' We toasted each other with champagne, after which we shared a night of unbridled, all-caution-to-the-wind, passion.
That very night, I became pregnant. With twins.
So, I'm pregnant with not one, but TWO babies, and I've got tumors the size of melons- WHAT am I going to do? Sadly, the answer to this question was "mis-carry"- which I did, in two separate months. This broke my heart. Still does...
Drowning in sorrow, and being told by "the expert" that, to prevent this in the future, I HAD to have a hysterectomy, he said that there was no point in having a uterus that was "useless". The smart thing would be to get rid of it- just as if he were talking about a poodle hoop skirt or a junk used car! I changed physicians, and decided that I would research my condition. For once in my life, I'd make an informed decision for MYSELF. I went through every book on fibroids in my college's library, but they all echoed the steadily changing (and increasingly indignant) M.D.s' diagnoses: I MUST have a hysterectomy or-- this was a new, even worse horror-- the tumors could turn CANCEROUS!! That did it. I had ONE more Doctor's name, and ONE book left to read in the library. Since I read them alphabetically, "West" was last. If this "Dr. West" said that hysterectomy was it, then hysterectomy was IT. I was SO tired: of the heavy bleeding, pelvic pain, exams, and, most of all, listening to my family and friends' (well-meaning) advice to just "get the surgery over with!" To "face reality, snap out of denial", etc. I felt SO all alone. I felt as if NO ONE understood, nor was on my side. Until I picked up this wonderful book. I read it in two days, and it totally changed me.
The first page states. "You don't need a hysterectomy. You can keep your uterus, and become a mother." I was hooked; the sorest grief in this entire drama was being told that I was "sterile".... and here was a DOCTOR, telling me, on paper, that that wasn't true.
This book explains all you'd ever want to know about Fibroids. How they're formed, what they look like. But, best of all, Dr. West has been around the block, and he's run with some pretty shady doctors in his day: he recounts for you, the reader, EXACTLY what M.D.s say behind doors (and backs) about their patients- and, it ain't pretty. Some Ob/Gyn docs actually make a "deal" with insurance companies, whereby they agree to perform radical hysterectomies on women, in exchange for certain "incentives" ( read $$$) Don't you see why the insurance company would profit from a Doctor performing a one time surgery on women of child-bearing age? Think about it: no more pregnancies, which means no "maternity" claims (which could be multiple, considering how many children the woman wants to have). No more covering birth control costs. And, since you'll no longer have a uterus, no more "pap smears". Also, there'll be no more uterine cancer screenings, nor chemotherapy costs should a woman develop cancer in her reproductive organs. Plus, the insurance company pays the M.D. over 4x as much to do a hysterectomy, as opposed to a myomectomy. (This is so true: MY new (and wonderful- finally found one) Ob/Gyn told me that he only got around $2,000 for performing my myomectomy, whereas he gets paid almost $9,000 for a simple hysterectomy). So, everybody wins. Everybody, that is, except us women....
Well, my new O.B/Gyn. read Dr. West's book with me, and Dr. West made himself available for both of us to speak to him, by phone, when needed, gratis! Absolutely NO "ego" clashing between them; I even photo-copied the pages dealing with the surgical procedure for my O.B to read, high-lighting the sections Dr. West told me were "crucial" to a good outcome.When I had my Fibroids removed, my doctor followed Dr. West's protocol to the letter, and, hooray! My uterus was saved! This was not easy, as one tumor by itself was the size of a volley-ball, and there were TWELVE more of them... but,save my womb he did!
Now, the reason I called this review "Thank You For Meghan" is because, eight years ago, "infertile, sterile, non-instrument of birth" ME, became pregnant again. I was terrified, and Dr. West and I exchanged e-mails across the miles. On July 5,2002, I gave birth to a perfect, GORGEOUS little girl named- you guessed it- MEGHAN!!! She WOULD NOT be alive, were it not for this book. Period. The "Intact" part pays homage to the fact that Dr. West feels that, too often, women are literally torn apart-- even mutilated-- by physicians, with scant regard for their feelings or concerns, or her aftermath. His professional goal is to have EVERY woman be "intact", as much as possible, for as much of her life as possible. Consider this: men get prostate, testicular. and genital cancer, don't they? But-- when was the last time you saw a man with, pardon me, no penis? And it doesn't matter if the man is "done having children" or NOT!! The medical community does EVERYTHING possible to save men's organs.... Ladies, DON'T let ANYone tell you that your fibroids are cancerous- yes, there ARE tumors that grow in the womb that CAN BE , but if you have "fibroids" they are, by definition, benign. Dr. West explained to me that this is a tactic, cruelly used by certain physicians, to scare you into the hysterectomy... don't misunderstand me, please: had I had cancerous tumors, I would have let them do any procedure, however drastic, necessary. The point is, I DIDN'T. And, if you have "fibroids", neither do you!! You can keep your uterus, and be a Mom, or just an "intact" woman, without being bullied into surgery by a M.D. who cares more about his wallet than he does his Oath.
Had I not had the good fortune of stumbling upon this book, I would not be a mother today. Like anyone else would be, lack of education about my own body inspired a white fear at the thought of my own mortality, which absolutely would have led to removal of my reproductive organs. Sadly, this book wasn't written in time for the women who were manipulated into unnecessary surgery in years past, and who, unfortunately, won't get any benefit from it, now-- once your uterus is gone, so are most of your fertility options. We all know at least one woman we love, whose only health concern is infertility due to past "surgery". But, gratefully, if you're considering purchasing and reading Dr. West's book, (the best investment you'll ever make) it is NOT TOO LATE FOR YOU!
In parting, here's something that I hope will get women, newly diagnosed with fibroids (and being told she MUST have a hysterectomy) all fired up: did you know what the very word, "Hysterectomy" MEANS? I didn't, until Dr.West (who qualified the definition by admitting that he was "deeply ashamed" of his profession for defining the treatment of our condition in this way) explained that : "ectomy: is the "surgical removal of" organs. But,"hyster" is the Greek word for "crazy"! Hence, the derivitive word "hysteria". The ancient Greek physicians (and, apparently, plenty of modern ones, universally, as well) insist that the cause of "woman's moodiniess, craziness,"etc., was due to the uterus. So, every time you hear the word "hysterectomy", remember that the Doctor saying it to you, male or female, VERY well knows that it means "removal of what's making this woman act so crazy"!! Interesting, huh?

It amazes me a lot of woman decide to do their homework about their health only after they had a hysterectomy. I had big, huge fibroids and my only hope was hysterectomy, but I refuse to let the doctors (Here in Florida) do it. I am a past pacient of Dr. West, and I can not have enough words of praise. I hear about the book, check some references, and contact him, had a myomectomy in his competent hands. If your doctor suggest a hysterectomy and you do not have cancer, you should read this book. There is responsible professionals out there willing to do the right thing. Know your options before any surgery. Good luck and Good health

Yes, the title sounds inflammatory, but the book is really a very well balanced analysis of when a hysterectomy will and won't be necessary, what the procedure involves, and the possible side effects of it. Hundreds of thousands of women have a hysterectomy every year and many, perhaps even most, are happy with the results. I have come across many women who sung the praises of their hysts because it gave them relief from their painful and in some instance incapacitating symptoms. And if you want a hysterectomy, by all means, go for it; there will be no shortage of docs lining up to give you one. But if you're over 40 and you don't want one, you are definitely fighting the biggest of uphill battles to find alternatives because for most docs hysterectomy is the default solution to treat just about any gyn issue in older women. And even if you think a hyst sounds good because you just want some relief, if you can get the same relief without removing a part of your body, why wouldn't you want to try a less extreme solution first??

Without a doubt, if you believe that keeping your body intact unless you have no other choice is the best thing to do, then you need to read this book to counter the misinformation that the vast majority of gynecologists will feed you. Sadly, in my search for a solution, I've learned that most will tell a woman over 40 that a hysterectomy is the only solution for her condition, when that simply is not the case. Even worse, I've come across SO MANY women who accepted that b.s. and had hysts that they probably didn't need! This makes me so sad. You cannot make an informed decision based on inaccurate information! I was told by a number of docs, including a very highly regarded surgeon in my city, that a hysterectomy was the only solution to my fibroids. Luckily, someone recommended this book to me and it gave me the knowledge I needed to run far away and find a surgeon with the skill to help me preserve my uterus.

If you have any doubts at all about having a hysterectomy, or even if you don't, PLEASE read this book and get accurate information about what is and what isn't possible. You won't be sorry you did.

Information was clearly presented. For those women already hoping to avoid a hysterectomy this book provides support for that position. Knowing that an experienced gynecologist holds this opinion makes it easier to keep asking your own doctor for alternatives, as it seems many gynecologists do not share this point of view.

I read this book 20 years ago when my Gyn recommended a hysterectomy due to large fibroids that caused long periods of heavy bleeding. I was on Amazon to find the book again for the daughter of a friend, that is about the age I was at when a hysterectomy was recommended to me, that now has a doctor recommending a hysterectomy to her. I am telling her to read the book for the same reason I am writing this review, to let others know how important it is to read this book before making any decisions. In my own case, I was going to schedule the procedure when my then 20 year old daughter sent me this book. It stopped me dead in my tracks and caused me to completely rethink whether advice being given to me was really good for me. I started researching my options and eventually elected to have a laser myomectomy to deal with the one myoma that was causing the problems. I also fired a surgeon whose first words out of her mouth when I went to her for a consultation was, "We can schedule a hysterctomy next week." I said "What about a myomectomy?" She said, "I don't usually consider a myomectomy when a woman is past childbearing." Whereupon I told her that I was not interested in working with her given her attitude, and went and found a surgeon, a man, actually, that understood that I wanted the problem resolved without taking out my uterus. Insensitive sexists come in female packages, too. Every woman should read this book, because sooner or later some doctor is likely to recommend a hysterectomy to just about every woman, because, as this book shows, that is what they are trained to do: shepherd us through our pre-reproductive years, then our reproductive years, and then finally, when they have built up trust with us over many years, to recommend and then perform a hysterectomy when we no longer "need" our uterus. Women need to be armed with information to stop being simply led along that path to a surgery that is in the vast majority of cases utterly unnecessary, and certainly not for any condition that is not life threatening. There are alternatives, and there are reasons our bodies need our uteruses after our reproductive years. If we didn't need them, they would just fall out on their own. They don't, and they don't need to be yanked out, either. It is up to each one of us to learn what the alternatives are so that we can make informed choices for ourselves independently of what is good for a doctor's pocketbook. This book is worth every penny of the price, and every minute it takes you to read it. Read it yourself, and give it to your friends, your mothers and your other relatives. Knowledge truly is power, the power to determine what happens to our bodies.

This book was recommended to me by a friend of mine who is a nurse. The book is very eye-opening. Ultimately it says cancer is probably the ONLY valid reason for a hysterectomy, but BEYOND that, it discusses the many things that can be wrong besides cancer - such as fibroids and endometrial hyperplasia - and gives ALTERNATIVE treatment options and a VERY helpful list of questions to ask your health care provider about treatment options, care, and followup needed with each disease. It made me feel empowered to speak with my gynecologist. I felt well informed and confident. It is a great resource I will keep on my shelf and give to friends.