Women have hysterectomies for many reasons, including sterilization, disease prevention and cancer. If you're going under the knife to have your uterus removed, is it a good idea to take your ovaries out, too? New research suggests that it might be.

" The report showed that women who had their ovaries taken out had lower rates of ovarian cancer and were not more likely to get heart disease or a hip fracture - which had been a worry in this group because of the quick drop in hormones that happens once the ovaries are gone," explains Reuters. Still, the news source maintains that the decision to have one's ovaries removed, either to reduce the (already extremely low) risk of ovarian cancer or for other reasons, rests with a woman alone.

" I've always said to my own patients, this is a woman's individual decision ", Dr. William Parker, a gynecologist affiliated with the University of California, Los Angeles, told the news outlet. More than half a million women in the United States undergo a hysterectomy each year. Many have already had children and decide to have their uteri removed to stop heavy menstrual periods or remove benign tumours.