Karia PS, et al. - Since bilateral oophorectomy during a non-malignant hysterectomy is frequently performed for ovarian cancer prevention in premenopausal women, researchers sought to explore the connection between oophorectomy and whole-body composition. The study population involved cancer-free women 35-70 years old from the 1999-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a representative sample of the US population. In total, 4,209 women with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scans were identified, including 445 with hysterectomy, 552 with hysterectomy and oophorectomy, and 3,212 with no surgery. Regardless of BMI, hysterectomy with oophorectomy may be associated with systemic changes in fat and lean body mass in young women.