In a finding that confirms what many obstetricians and gynecologists suspected, Duke University researchers report that younger women who undergo hysterectomies face a nearly two-fold increased risk for developing menopause early.

Approximately 600,000 hysterectomies are performed in the United States annually to treat benign disorders of the pelvis.

Most women scheduled for gynecologic surgery to address noncancerous symptoms said in a recently published survey that they were not worried about the effects of the procedure on their sex lives.

Researchers are suggesting that discarded fallopian tubes from hysterectomies could be a good source of donor stem cells — offering another "ethical" route to creating stem cell treatments without using embryos.

CYPRESS, Calif., Nov.