Psychological Reactions to Hysterectomy among Japanese Women

Hosaka Takashi, Ohsuga Hitoshi, Kano Rikihachiro, Fujii Akikazu

doi:10.15064/jjpm.27.6_523

Forty-three women undergoing hysterectomy were studied in order to investigate the association between hysterctomy and psychiatric adverse effects. They were interviewed and administered the psychological tests on the day prior to the operation. Also, they were reinterviewed on seven days later, and mailed the psychological test and the specially designed questionnaire at two year follow-up.The mailed questionnaires were filled and returned from 35 or 81.4% of women. They were all married and parous except for one divorced and two single women. Regarding psychiatric adverse reactions, two cases who seemed to have neurotic tendency previously were found to be exacerbated transiently after the operation. Both of them were married and multiparous, and their operations were done due to myoma uteri.Bedides, a 52 year-old woman manifested hot flush probably due to estrogen deficiency which was attributed to additional unilateral ovariectomy, and some patients were suffered from lumbago transiently.Our data did not support the hypothesis that hysterectomy should be followed by various psychiatric symptoms. However, it was surprising that so many patients did not know or were unwilling to know what kind of operation to be undergone and what sorts of complications to be anticipated. This defense mechanism 'denial' seemed to be effective, in collaboration with a Japanese style of doctor-patient relationship-dependence on doctors, in lessening preoperative tension or anxiety and avoiding psychiatric complications postoperatively among Japanese women undergoing hysterectomy.

Psychological Reactions to Hysterectomy among Japanese Women

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