A computer search in the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Health statistical data base was made to obtain the medical record numbers of patients who had had hysterectomies in the public or private hospitals of the Hunter Area of the State during the years 1987-89. The medical records of patients so identified were then extracted and reviewed by a medical team. The age at and the principal indication for hysterectomy were noted in each case and these data were then compared with those for the rest of NSW. The hysterectomy rate in the Hunter Area was 66.5 per 10,000 women aged 15 years or more, compared with a rate of 33.8 per 10,000 in the rest of NSW. When the 9.04% of hysterectomies performed on patients whose domicile was outside the Hunter Area were excluded, the corrected hysterectomy rate for the area was 57.46 per 10,000 women. The commonest indications for hysterectomy were menorrhagia (25.4%) and fibroids (15.32%). The limitations of this kind of retrospective study are discussed and suggestions are made for an improved methodology to be used in a future study.