Women who underwent bilateral oophorectomy at higher risk of carpal tunnel syndrome: Study

Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common nerve disorder in the upper body. Although predominately idiopathic in nature, an association with sex hormones has been suggested because of a higher incidence in women compared with men of all ages. The peak frequency for women is around the age of menopause, which is 50 to 59 years, but for men, the peak is 70 to 79 years. In addition, estrogen therapy has been shown in other clinical trials to reduce the risk of CTS in postmenopausal women.

This study is one of the first to demonstrate an increased long-term risk of de novo severe CTS in women who underwent bilateral oophorectomy before menopause. The risk was greater in women with lower body mass index, women who had never given birth to a child or carried a pregnancy, and in those with a benign ovarian indication for oophorectomy. The study did not find a protective effect of estrogen therapy after the surgery.

It remains unclear whether oophorectomy increases the risk of CTS because it causes abrupt estrogen deficiency because of another endocrine disruption or because of some confounding mechanism such as shared risk factors or a lower threshold to pain.

"This study highlights yet another risk associated with bilateral oophorectomy before natural menopause. Together, the findings of this study and others showing increased risk for disease outcomes, such as heart disease and dementia, should prompt a reassessment of bilateral oophorectomy before menopause in women who are not at high risk for ovarian cancer," says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, NAMS medical director.