China Needs More Awareness for Uterine Health: CPPCC Member

Wang Zhibiao, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, calls on Chinese people to care more about women's uterine health and proposes that a special day be established with the aim of raising people's awareness for women's internal gynecological wellbeing.

"Statistics show that China sees more than 1.5 million women undergoing hysterectomy surgery [the removal of the uterus] each year for reasons ranging from C-sections, abortion or endometrial cancer [cancer of the womb]," pointed out Wang, who has resumed as a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Medical University of Chongqing.

"The majority of women lack awareness for uterine protection, and some of them don't even know the other functions of their uterus besides its basic function of housing a baby. Actually, the womb is one of the most important reproductive organs for women and is not only responsible for the development of the embryo and fetus during pregnancy but also bears the responsibility of controlling women's endocrine system," explains Wang, adding that the removal of the womb can have adverse effects on women's physical and mental health.

Many Chinese women can't accept the fact the removal of their uterus, just like the removal of women's breasts, will speed up their aging and make them feebler.

Wang expressed that women could avoid having their uterus removed even if they have already contracted endometrial cancer. With the development of modern medical technology, women can often easily remove the cancerous cell via Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging instead of undergoing hysterectomy surgery.

Besides uterine cancer, C-section and artificial abortion also lead to a high probability of requiring uterus removal surgery. However, in most cases, surgery for the removal of the uterus could be avoided.

According to recent statistics, the total percentage of C-section births in China could reach as high as 46.5 percent — and in some areas can even be as high as 70–80 percent, which exceeds the international warning line by a factor of 3–5. According to data released by medical journal "Lancet" in 2010, 25 percent of C-sections around the world — that means 5,000,000 cases each year — could be avoided, as these procedures are not performed for medical needs.

C-sections also have a higher risk of leading to mass blood loss, which is up to three times less likely to occur for natural childbirth. And in such cases where mass blood loss occurs after childbirth, the chances that the uterus must be removed to protect the mother's life are 35 times greater if the blood loss occurs following a C-section compared to natural delivery.

According to the "Statistics for the Science and Technology" publicized by the National Population and Family Planning Commission in 2013, China that year saw as many as 13 million people undergoing artificial-abortion procedures — a figure that correlates directly to the number of hysterectomy cases.

Wang suggests that establishing a special day for uterine health could raise women's awareness of how to take proper care of their body and to know what factors can influence their gynecological wellbeing. Furthermore, specialized experts and uterine health–interested parties should convene to share their knowledge and experience on the protection of women's gynecological health. Volunteers could also be encouraged to participate in the campaign on uterine health, which could in turn encourage more social-welfare organizations to provide funding support. It is also necessary for there to be more training workshops and knowledge dissemination — for example, in the form of pamphlets — for uterine health in China.

(Source: paper.cnwomen.com.cn/Translated and edited by Women of China)