One of the books I found in the local library on the subject of hysterectomy was Misinformed Consent: Women’s Stories About Unnecessary Hysterectomy

Lise Cloutier-Steele assembled stories, one of them her own, from 13 women who had unnecessary hysterectomies. In my opinion, before any woman in North America has ANY surgical procedure she should read this book. If nothing else, it will teach us what questions to ask.

For far too long women have surrendered our good sense, our judgment, our decision-making abilities, and our free will to physicians who for whatever reason, choose to ignore the course of treatment that is in the best interest of the patient. They continue to insist on out-moded treatment methodologies because they themselves are not trained on newer and less invasive procedures–not volunteering information to the patient that these methods even exist.  They ignore recent research indicating the continued importance of female reproductive organs well past childbearing years. They continue to insist on this most invasive and irreversible of procedures without treating the woman–the patient as an equal partner in the decision-making process.

Time for us to wake up. Surgical castration is the last course of treatment–not the first.