COVER STORY/UTERUS

As DTE dived deep into the socioeconomic conditions of the 50-odd women, another common thread appeared. Most of the women who opted for the operation had not passed school. Women with no schooling had hysterectomy at a younger median age (34years) than women educated up to 12 or more years (38.4years). There is also stark contrast between women belonging to the lowest and the highest wealth quintile households. The

Uterus is the organ where menstrual blood is formed; it is where a pregnant woman can feed her unborn child—in the womb; and, it is linked to the well-being of all other organs of her body. All these functions cease when a hysterectomy is performed—woman stop getting periods and cannot become pregnant again. The operation is generally performed to treat conditions like irregular bleeding and