Book excerpt: While more than 600,000 hysterectomies are performed each year in the United States, 90 percent of them are unwarranted. This vital health guide offers women the information they need to empower themselves in making critical health decisions. For example, surgery can often do more harm than good and may pose needless risks, except in situations involving a life-threatening illness such as cancer. Surgeons, however, often rely on hysterectomies as a panacea for everything from premenstrual syndrome to uterine fibroids. An important way to bridge the communication gap between patient and physician is to ask the specific questions in this book. Included is information about various gynecological conditions—such as endometriosis, uterine prolapse, ovarian cysts, and precancerous conditions—and suggestions for alternative treatments.