More Women Need Second Opinions Before Hysterectomy and Other Surgeries
Newswire Services
August 18, 2010
Dallas, TX -- A new awareness campaign called "Give Me a Second" is stressing the importance of medical second opinions for women who are advised to get hysterectomies and other major surgeries.
Led by patient support advocate and entrepreneur Kathy Kelley, founder and CEO of HysterSisters, the Give Me a Second awareness campaign includes a 90-second video of little girls sharing wisdom passed down from mothers to daughters. Their young voices repeat many familiar expressions about manners ("always say ´please´ and ´thank you´) and pleasantries ("you catch more flies with honey than vinegar") while underscoring a more serious message: women need to be good to themselves and ask for more information from their doctors when it comes to their own health.
"The Give Me a Second campaign will help so many women feel empowered to learn about more treatment options for gynecological health matters, especially heavy bleeding and fibroids," says Barb Dehn, RN, MS, NP, the award-winning author of Your Personal Guide to Menopause and a nationally recognized health expert.
"Give Me a Second" was developed when Kelley, a retired schoolteacher who became a patient support advocate after her own hysterectomy in 1998, became concerned about the number of women who do not get second opinions before they have hysterectomies. Every day women share their hysterectomy experiences at HysterSisters, an online community that Kelley created for women to discuss gynecological health issues ranging from fibroids and endometriosis to uterine prolapse and gynecological cancers. When Kelley asked her HysterSisters visitors about whether they got second opinions before their hysterectomies, over 50 percent said "no."
Kelley´s concern was strengthened when she read research that reported over 60 percent of hysterectomies in the U.S. are performed via open, abdominal incisions*, which means more pain, longer hospital stays and up to two months for recovery. According to the Centers for Disease Control, over 600,000 U.S. women have hysterectomies each year.
"Among the hundreds of thousands of women who visit HysterSisters, there are a few common reasons why they do not get second opinions," says Kelley. "First, they are comfortable with the doctors who delivered their babies and may not want to question them. Second, they do not know what to ask – or they may feel that they do not have the right to ask a lot of questions."
The "Give Me a Second" website includes two questions that every woman should ask her doctor before surgery, which are: "Am I a candidate for an alternative treatment?" and "Am I a candidate for ´minimally invasive´ surgery?"
Women who have researched all of their options before deciding on any treatment tend to feel better about their decisions, Kelley says.
"There are at least three great reasons to get a second opinion before any surgery," says Kelley. "You may get new information about your condition. You may get a fresh perspective about possible treatments. And importantly, you can get peace of mind."
"Give Me a Second" was founded on the belief that by asking more questions and getting second opinions, women become respectful partners with their doctors and improve the quality of their care and their outcomes. "It´s okay to talk to more than one doctor," says Kelley. "In fact, it´s good for your health."
Patients like Shawn Hancock of Austin, Texas, know the benefits of doing their homework when it comes to their health. When she suffered from heavy menstrual cycles, she went to HysterSisters.com to learn about women´s experiences with procedures like endometrial ablations and minimally-invasive hysterectomies, such as laparoscopic, vaginal and robotic-assisted surgeries.
"I know women are sometimes afraid to question their doctors, we don´t want to insult them or make anyone mad," Hancock says. "When I went for a second opinion, my doctor gave me a lot of information and was available to answer all of my questions, but I also did my own homework. As women, we need to be the experts of our own bodies."
Women and men who want to learn how to have better communication with their doctors and get the information they need can visit givemeasecond.com.
Led by patient support advocate and entrepreneur Kathy Kelley, founder and CEO of HysterSisters, the Give Me a Second awareness campaign includes a 90-second video of little girls sharing wisdom passed down from mothers to daughters. Their young voices repeat many familiar expressions about manners ("always say ´please´ and ´thank you´) and pleasantries ("you catch more flies with honey than vinegar") while underscoring a more serious message: women need to be good to themselves and ask for more information from their doctors when it comes to their own health.
"The Give Me a Second campaign will help so many women feel empowered to learn about more treatment options for gynecological health matters, especially heavy bleeding and fibroids," says Barb Dehn, RN, MS, NP, the award-winning author of Your Personal Guide to Menopause and a nationally recognized health expert.
"Give Me a Second" was developed when Kelley, a retired schoolteacher who became a patient support advocate after her own hysterectomy in 1998, became concerned about the number of women who do not get second opinions before they have hysterectomies. Every day women share their hysterectomy experiences at HysterSisters, an online community that Kelley created for women to discuss gynecological health issues ranging from fibroids and endometriosis to uterine prolapse and gynecological cancers. When Kelley asked her HysterSisters visitors about whether they got second opinions before their hysterectomies, over 50 percent said "no."
Kelley´s concern was strengthened when she read research that reported over 60 percent of hysterectomies in the U.S. are performed via open, abdominal incisions*, which means more pain, longer hospital stays and up to two months for recovery. According to the Centers for Disease Control, over 600,000 U.S. women have hysterectomies each year.
"Among the hundreds of thousands of women who visit HysterSisters, there are a few common reasons why they do not get second opinions," says Kelley. "First, they are comfortable with the doctors who delivered their babies and may not want to question them. Second, they do not know what to ask – or they may feel that they do not have the right to ask a lot of questions."
The "Give Me a Second" website includes two questions that every woman should ask her doctor before surgery, which are: "Am I a candidate for an alternative treatment?" and "Am I a candidate for ´minimally invasive´ surgery?"
Women who have researched all of their options before deciding on any treatment tend to feel better about their decisions, Kelley says.
"There are at least three great reasons to get a second opinion before any surgery," says Kelley. "You may get new information about your condition. You may get a fresh perspective about possible treatments. And importantly, you can get peace of mind."
"Give Me a Second" was founded on the belief that by asking more questions and getting second opinions, women become respectful partners with their doctors and improve the quality of their care and their outcomes. "It´s okay to talk to more than one doctor," says Kelley. "In fact, it´s good for your health."
Patients like Shawn Hancock of Austin, Texas, know the benefits of doing their homework when it comes to their health. When she suffered from heavy menstrual cycles, she went to HysterSisters.com to learn about women´s experiences with procedures like endometrial ablations and minimally-invasive hysterectomies, such as laparoscopic, vaginal and robotic-assisted surgeries.
"I know women are sometimes afraid to question their doctors, we don´t want to insult them or make anyone mad," Hancock says. "When I went for a second opinion, my doctor gave me a lot of information and was available to answer all of my questions, but I also did my own homework. As women, we need to be the experts of our own bodies."
Women and men who want to learn how to have better communication with their doctors and get the information they need can visit givemeasecond.com.
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