Author: Khin Zar Naing
AIT Library Call Number: AIT Thesis no.GD-06-05
Year: 2006
Academic Program: Gender and Development Studies (GDS)
Type: Thesis (M.Sc.) – Asian Institute of Technology, 2006
Examination Committee: Barbara Earth (Chairperson); Bernadette P. Resurreccion, Mokbul Morshed Ahmad (Examination Committee Members)
Abstract: Hysterectomy (surgical removal of uterus) and oophorectomy (surgical removal of ovaries) are the most controversial women-specific operations and the most familiar surgical procedure to women and embodies many of the complexities around medical involvement in women’s reproduction. Hysterectomy and oophorectomy are issues for women today in developed countries and many debates (e.g., rate of hysterectomy and unnecessary surgeries, removal of healthy ovaries in the same operation, etc.) are widely explored since 1970. But research on hysterectomy in developing countries is scarce. There is no previous research about the lived experiences of Myanmar women with hysterectomy. The study explores the lived experiences of 33 Myanmar women who have undergone hysterectomy with or without oophorectomy both for benign and malignant conditions. Due to gynecological surgery, women have cessation of menstruation, infertility, and loss of hormones produced by ovaries. These post operative consequences have challenged female identity, especially for women who have not had children. Sexuality and sense of being a woman are affected. Change from a normal female body to less than complete leads to discrimination and stigmatization which may in turn have further negative impact on women’s identity and their gender role in family and in society. Aftermath of hysterectomy and oophorectomy sometimes includes severe menopausal problems and psychological problems, thereby reducing the daily functioning and life expectancy of women concerned. The study reveals the medicalization of women’s bodies and how this medical intervention has effect on women’s socially constructed bodies under the Buddhist and Myanmar cultural context. Many Myanmar women are led to believe by gynecologists that all their troubles originate in their pelvic organs and they naturally tend to the view that they will be cured by having everything removed. In addition, various sociological factors such as low socioeconomic situation, lack of knowledge on their own b
Scholarship Donor(s): Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship; World Bank Grant Scholarship Program
Note: A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, School of Environment, Resources and Development
Advisory: Full-text is available at https://library.ait.ac.th/ (accessible to local ip address only)
