Leave one ovary or take both???

I have a question for anyone who may have some advice.

I have severe endometriosis. I have had it for years. I'm having a TAH with bso, but I'm uncertain if I should leave one or take both.

I spoke with my gyn today we are setting my date for the surgery. We discussed taking the ovaries today. If there is disease on both we would take both and that would through me into surgical menopause. But if only one is diseased we would leave one behind.

Since I got off the phone I've been thinking.

Originally I thought of leaving one ovary behind so I don't have to take HRT.

But, I thought it was better to take both.

Now I'm wondering if I should leave one behind no matter what and if they both have endo one take the one with more and remove the endo from the one left and see what happens since there is only a 5 % chance the endo could come back where with having both removed there is a 1 % chance.

would be appreciated.

Sharon

HI Sharon

This is just my based on my own experience. I elected to have both ovaries removed...and neither one was really diseased. In retrospect..now at 3 1/2 years post op...I truly wish I would have kept them. If one of your ovaries is healthy, then I would say, keep it. Those little ovaries produce far more than what I was aware of. And, it's taken along time (for me) to find balance (with hrt) again without them.

Only you and your doctor will know for sure what you should do, depending on what he finds with the endo.

Sending 's

I kept my healthy ovaries, even with Stage IV Endo, and I am glad that I did. Granted with endo, I more than likely will eventually have to have them out, but for now I do not have to try to find the right HRT balance that will help with surgical menopause but not feed the endo.

Each of us have to make our own decision, based on our own health, wishes, and research. My dr, DH, and I all feel we made the right decision for me.

Best wishes to you.

Hello,
Told DR I would like to keep what I could. When he got in my right ovary was covered with a cyct and endo and fused to the uterus. The uterus already had demollition plans. The left ovary was just a little messed up. So he cleaned her all up, kept half a tube and she's good as new. I choose to keep my cervical stump too.

My doctor ended up taking the left ovary and left the right. Left wouldn't stop bleeding, hence the unit blood loss. I thought since I still had one ovary, my hormones would be fine, but the past two days, I find myself crying all the time...I guess that is one of my questions for the doc in 5 weeks!

yayasitershan:

It can take awhile for your ovary to function properly after a hyst. It is not uncommon to have a month or even a few months of fluctuating hormones as you wait for them to wake up--the affected blood supply can cause them to take a little vacation.

Do talk to your dr. Sometimes the ovary (or ovaries) don't wake up, but you are early enough post op that I would guess you just need to wait a bit longer for your ovary to decide to do its job again.

HI

I know this is a very hard decision to make.
I also had endo and really wanted to keep my ovaries so I wouldn't go in to menopause. My doctor insisted that they be removed since estrogen feeds the endo. As you already mentioned, he said that more women with endo may wind up having future problems with endo if they keep the ovaries. I have read that if you keep the ovaries, the chance of recurrence is 6 times higher.

My deciding factor was the amount of damage my endo was causing my bladder. I had a urologist look at my bladder prior to my surgery and he said it was so diseased from the endo, that it was only a matter of time before the endo punctured through my bladder and I would need a catheter for the rest of my life. I had to have part of my bladder removed during my hysterectomy.

My main goal was to treat the endo. I definently question my decision on those very hormonal days.
It has been a continuous struggle to keep my emotional sanity since my ovaries have been removed. They have valuable hormones that we truely need. I know even with HRT, we do not get the compliment of hormones that our bodies produced prior to having them removed.

This is a decision that you should think about and discuss with your doctor at length. Some of your deciding factor may be the amount of damage your endo could possibly be causing other organs in your body.

I do have days when my hormones are all over the place, and I wonder if I did the right thing. I then have to remind myself that life would not be fun with a catheter and that for me personally, I have had great success at treating my endo. My doctor was very knowledgable and aggressive in his approach at treating women with endo and he took many precautions to help make my surgery a success.

I guess I don't know for sure if my ovaries would have caused any future problems, but I am pleased that my endo is not causing anymore damage to my body.

I am sure you have read that a hysterectomy is not a guarantee cure for your endo. There are many women who have a hysterectomy, even if they have their ovaries removed and still have problems with their endo.

ALL the endo needs to be removed.....which can be very hard to do depending on where the endo is located. If the bladder and/or bowels are involved...it becomes much more difficult to remove. It is very microscopic and likes to hide in various places.

Best of luck with your decision. Just research all your options and read as much as possible about endo, and then try and have confidence in your decision so you will have peace of mind after your surgery, no matter what the outcome may be.