Changing trends in the preference of health care facility and reasons for hysterectomy in India

Role of Child Marriage and Adolescent Childbearing on Hysterectomy Among Married Women in India: A Cross-Sectional and Time-to-Event Analysis

OBJECTIVE

Child marriage forces a girl into adult roles before physical and psychological maturity, which can take a toll on women's health over the life course. This article aims to assess whether child marriage and adolescent childbearing are associated with elevated risk of gynaecologic disorders leading to hysterectomy.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional and time-to-event analysis.

SETTING

India.

POPULATION

528 816 ever-married women, aged 20-49 years.

METHODS

Women were grouped in four mutually exclusive categories: (i) married adult-not an adolescent mother (reference category), (ii) married adult-adolescent mother, (iii) married child-not an adolescent mother and (iv) married child-adolescent mother. Multivariable logistic regressions were fitted to assess the odds of hysterectomy for these groups. Nonparametric Kaplan-Meier survivor functions were estimated to evaluate survival rates across the groups.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Whether had a hysterectomy and age when hysterectomy was performed.

RESULTS

Compared to women married as adults, not an adolescent mother, women married in childhood and gave birth in adolescence were 1.87 (95% CI: 1.78-1.96) times more likely to have a hysterectomy. The latter group also had the lowest survival probability for hysterectomy at all ages (e.g., 85.80% [95% CI: 85.41-86.18] at age 49 years as compared to 91.65% [95% CI: 91.37-91.89] for the former group). Women married as children but not adolescent mothers and married as an adult but gave birth in adolescence also had higher odds of hysterectomy-1.40 (95% CI: 1.31-1.50) and 1.53 (95% CI: 1.40-1.66) times of that of the reference group, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results, showing a strong relationship between child marriage and hysterectomy, contribute to the literature on later-life health consequences of child marriage.

Prevalence and determinants of hysterectomy in India

Increase in the prevalence of hysterectomy among low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as India has become a significant concern. Reports based on either a particular group or region show an increasing trend in hysterectomy, but there is a dearth of national-level data in this domain. Hence, there seems to be an urgent need to garner evidence on the prevalence and determinants of hysterectomy, which could pave the way for future programs and policies. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of hysterectomy and assess its determinants using a nationally representative sample. An observational analysis was conducted using data from Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI), 2017-2018. 38,154 women aged > 18 years were included. A multivariable logistic regression, presented as an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI), was used to predict the association between various socio-demographic characteristics and hysterectomy. A separate multivariable logistic regression model was executed to determine the association between selected non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and hysterectomy. Survey weights compensated the complex study design. The overall prevalence of hysterectomy was around 11.35%. Excessive menstrual bleeding followed by fibroids emerged as the leading causes of hysterectomy. The various determinants of hysterectomy were urban residents [AOR: 1.54 (1.21-1.96)], other backward class [AOR: 2.19 (1.72-2.78], working women [AOR: 1.19(1-1.42)] and the most affluent (rich) group [AOR: 2.06 (1.62-2.63)]. Hysterectomy was associated with cancer [AOR: 4.83 (2.51-9.29)], diabetes [AOR: 1.79 (1.25-2.57)], hypertension [AOR: 1.48 (1.27-1.71)] and joint diseases [AOR: 1.43 (1.09-1.88)]. Hysterectomy is considerably prevalent in India, which cannot be overlooked. Health promotion regarding hysterectomy and its implications is needed especially among urban residents, affluent groups and those with a higher body mass index. Health programmes aimed at women should follow a life course approach by prioritizing health and overall well-being even after reproductive years.

Prevalence, socio-demographic determinants, and self-reported reasons for hysterectomy and choice of hospitalization in India

BACKGROUND

There is limited evidence of hysterectomy in India because of a lack of data in large-scale, nationally representative health surveys. In 2015-16, the fourth National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4)-a cross-sectional survey-collected for the first-time direct information on hysterectomy and self-reported reasons for undergoing the procedure among women in the reproductive age group. The current study evaluates the prevalence, determinants, and choice of hospitalization (Public vs. Private) for conducting hysterectomy in India among women aged 15-49 years in 29 states and seven union territories (UTs) based on the new large-scale population-based nationally representative dataset (NFHS 5).

METHODS

Cross-tabulations and percentage distributions were utilized to analyse the prevalence of hysterectomy and the choice of hospitalization (public vs. private) across different socioeconomic backgrounds and reasons for undergoing hysterectomy. A multivariate binary logistic regression model was also used to find statistically significant determinants of hysterectomy.

RESULTS

In India as a whole, 3.3% of women aged 15-49 years had undergone a hysterectomy. The percentage of women who had undergone the procedure was found to vary considerably across the states and the UTs. The southern region stands out for the considerably higher prevalence of hysterectomy; particularly in the states of Andhra Pradesh (8.7%) and Telangana (8.2%), the prevalence was very high followed by Bihar (6%) and Gujrat (4%). On the other hand, the North-eastern region had the lowest prevalence of hysterectomy (1.2%). A noticeable fact that emerged was that the majority of the hysterectomies were performed in the private sector (69.6%) in India. But the scenario was quite different in north-eastern region as in this region more hysterectomies were performed in public health facilities (73%) rather than private health facilities (26.7%). Age, place of residence, religion, caste, level of education, geographic region, wealth quintiles, parity, age at first cohabitation of women were found to be the socio-demographic determinants statistically associated with hysterectomy in India. The likelihood of hysterectomy was higher among women living in rural areas (AOR: 1.3, CI: 1.23-1.35), in the richest wealth quintile (AOR 2.6; CI 2.37-2.76) and in the southern region (AOR 1.6; CI 1.47-1.66). The reasons frequently reported for hysterectomy were excessive menstrual bleeding/pain, followed by fibroids/cysts.

CONCLUSION

This study has attempted to analyse hysterectomy prevalence and its socio-economic determinants using the latest fifth round of NFHS data of all the states and covering 21 states and union territories of India, which gives wider coverage of hysterectomy and more recent with accurate data. More research is needed therefore to unravel the complex dynamics of hysterectomy in India (and elsewhere) which could be used to help women make more informed choices and in turn advance their reproductive health and rights.

Uterine Factor Infertility, a Systematic Review

Uterine factor infertility (UFI) is defined as a condition resulting from either a complete lack of a uterus or a non-functioning uterus due to many causes. The exact prevalence of UFI is currently unknown, while treatments to achieve pregnancy are very limited. To evaluate the prevalence of this condition within its different causes, we carried out a worldwide systematic review on UFI. We performed research on the prevalence of UFI and its various causes throughout the world, according to the PRISMA criteria. A total of 188 studies were included in qualitative synthesis. UFI accounted for 2.1 to 16.7% of the causes of female infertility. We tried to evaluate the proportion of the different causes of UFI: uterine agenesia, hysterectomies, uterine malformations, uterine irradiation, adenomyosis, synechiae and Asherman syndrome, uterine myomas and uterine polyps. However, the data available in countries and studies were highly heterogenous. This present systematic review underlines the lack of a consensual definition of UFI. A national register of patients with UFI based on a consensual definition of Absolute Uterine Factor Infertility and Non-Absolute Uterine Factor Infertility would be helpful for women, whose desire for pregnancy has reached a dead end.