“I Can Wear White Pants Now”: Exploring Perceptions of Hysterectomy Success

• Main Author: Abramson, Zelda
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: UTSC Printing Services, University of Toronto Scarborough 2010
• Subjects: HYSTERECTOMY EXPERIENCES; FOCUS GROUPS; WOMEN’S HEALTH; KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER; METHODOLOGY; MEDICALIZATION; DOCTOR-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP; Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1807/24421

This study is based on three focus groups I conducted in Gander, Newfoundland in 2003 for CBC’s show, ‘The Nature of Things’, that addressed whether hysterectomy is a necessary treatment option and what, if any, are the long term health effects of a hysterectomy. Using Feminist and Marxist paradigms I probe beyond what on the surface might be the women’s total enthusiasm for their hysterectomy procedure to explain a disjuncture between experience and reporting of experience. The voices of the Newfoundland women illustrate that both answers and questions may be more confusing and complex than they seem, and that outcome studies on women’s hysterectomy experiences or health, more generally, may underreport or misreport health concerns. Thus, this research challenges universal evidence-based outcomes of hysterectomy and calls for recognition of the multiplicity or diversity of standpoints women experience with hysterectomy.