title: Fibromyalgia and hysterectomy: the impact on health status and health care costs.
abstract: Women account for over 80 % of the fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) population. Some researchers have noted that a large percentage of women with FMS have had hysterectomies. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between FMS and hysterectomies, and to examine the impact of having a hysterectomy on health status and health care costs. A sample of 573 American women, who were members of a health maintenance organization with a confirmed diagnosis of FMS, reported whether they had a hysterectomy. Participants completed the Quality of Well-Being Scale and their annual health care costs were calculated based on their medical records. Almost half of the sample (48.3 %) reported having had a hysterectomy, with 90.7 % reporting having had the surgery before their FMS diagnosis. Those who had a hysterectomy had significantly lower general health status and incurred higher health care costs than the women with FMS who did not have a hysterectomy. The percentage of women with FMS who had a hysterectomy was considerably higher than that found in the general population. In this study, having a hysterectomy and a diagnosis of FMS was related to poorer health status and higher health care costs.
authors.affiliation: Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego State University/ University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA 92120-4913, USA. mayasantoro@gmail.com
authors.forename: Maya S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Santoro
authors.forename: Terry A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Cronan
authors.forename: Rebecca N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: Dhwani J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Kothari
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000150:complications* / Q000191:economics*; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007044:Hysterectomy / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014591:Uterine Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000191:economics*; D016387:Women's Health