LAVH: Upcoming hysterectomy 3/25: Still Deciding to Remove Ovaries OR Not

Hi. I'm 45 and have a schedule to have LAVH on 3/25. Doctor recommends me to remove ovaries because of my age, but I'm very scared to remove them. Even though there is hormone therapy available to ease the symptom, I am scared to go to menopause all of sudden. I still have regular period (and I'm glad I don't have to deal with period removing uterus!) Removing ovaries will remove the risk of ovarian cancer. Since my family has breast cancer history, this will be another relief, but I'm just scared to face with menopause.

Can you share your story to face with sudden menopause removing ovaries? Do you recommend? If not, why? Please help!

Hello,

Initially my surgeon told me most women she deals with want everything removed. And one surgery is easier to do then having to do a second one down the road. I felt differently I knew the best balance of hormones come from my own ovaries. Though I am not against HRT if needed for balance. Having said all this my surgeon had the last say and final decision would be made when my ovaries were viewed during surgery. I agreed to have my Fallopian tubes removed as some studies indicate that ovarian cancer may get a start there. I do have one family member who had breast cancer before age 50. I think the choice is a personal one and should be weighed out along with your surgeons input. Good luck on your journey

Hi, I dont have any advice but I am in a similar position as you somewhat except I am 38/39 and had surgery in Oct. 2014 to remove large ovarian cysts and my ob/gyn discovered a borderline tumor on the ovary so everything came out (cysts, ovary and tube). I was told because a second pathology review found my diagnosis was borderline ans not invasive OVCA, that I could keep my remaining ovary and just get it monitored every 3 months along with CA-125 tests.

Given this diagnosis, I am now researching getting an elective hysterectomy (remaining ovary and uterus) but I am very worried about the sudden menopause given my mom and grandmother both suffer from osteoporosis. My mom had her hysterectomy in her mid 50s and everything was benign. I am also worried about sex since my husband and I have a very active sex life and I am not sure how lack of hormones will affect my libido or enjoyment of sex afterward. It is really distressing, not knowing what steps to take. Early stage ovarian cancer is very hard to detect on scans and ultrasounds.

This is a very individual decision. I would talk to your dr at length about the pluses and minuses of removing/keeping them, and then decide from there. I am 58 and had mine out. I figured they were not doing that much for me at my age, and I had a friend dying of ovarian cancer at the time. Had I either been younger or not had a dying friend, I could have easily made a different decision.

Hi, I'm 49 and scheduled for LAVH due to large fibroid and heavy bleeding. My Dr. advised keeping my ovaries but removing tubes and also stated thats where ovarian cancer may originate. My second opinion Dr. agreed. Personally, I dont want to be thrust into menopause while recovering from major surgery.

miwako

I was almost 51 when I had my hysterectomy. That is the age my doctor told me the ovaries generally stop working. She recommended their removal to avoid needing another surgery later. I went back and forth on what I wanted to do. On the one hand, the ovaries continue to produce some hormones after menopause and as a result provide health benefits. On the other hand my SIL has ovarian cancer and like her I never had children which increases the risk. When I had the pre-op appt before my D&C, I asked if she could look at the ovaries when she did the hysterectomy and leave them if they looked good. When it came time for my hysterectomy pre-op appt, I forgot about the "look at them and leave them if they look good" option and agreed to have them removed. At least one had a cyst and one or both may have been removed even if I had selected this option. There was also the possibility that they would not have functioned after surgery if they were left.

I didn't start HRT until 5 weeks post-op so I did experience surgical menopause and it wasn't fun. I was on the lowest Minivelle patch dose for 7 weeks and have been on the highest Minivelle patch dose since. Things are much better for me now and my mood is better than it has been for a long time. I will say during the month that it took for to get my dose increased and actually get the new patch, I got very discouraged and was regretting letting my ovaries be taken. While HRT is helping, things can change over time. So for now I have to say the jury is still out on whether I made a good decision or not.

After reading several posts on here, several have difficulty finding the right HRT balance. There are also posts were the ovaries were removed in a second surgery.

The decision concerning your ovaries is a very personal one. Do your research. Talk to your doctor. Then make an informed decision that is best for you.

for your surgery and a quick, easy recovery.

Hi everyone. Thank you very much for the reply to my first thread. I just joined the discussion today and I feel much better and relieve that I am not the only one who can't decide how I should do. I still haven't decided yet and will continue researching what is the best choice for me. But I touched by your warm hearts and thank you very much for this! I'll keep in touch about my decision and my new journey.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by miwako Hi. I'm 45 and have a schedule to have LAVH on 3/25. Doctor recommends me to remove ovaries because of my age, but I'm very scared to remove them. Even though there is hormone therapy available to ease the symptom, I am scared to go to menopause all of sudden. I still have regular period (and I'm glad I don't have to deal with period removing uterus!) Removing ovaries will remove the risk of ovarian cancer. Since my family has breast cancer history, this will be another relief, but I'm just scared to face with menopause. Can you share your story to face with sudden menopause removing ovaries? Do you recommend? If not, why? Please help!

Hi,miwako
My doctor told me that the ovaries were good for the heart as well as the bones. I think your doctor wants to remove your because of the history of breast cancer in your family. "What is your prognosis now" this should also weigh in your factoring. You can always have your ovaries monitor every 3 months. I understand your feelings going into immediate menopause. This was a major concern for me as well. I asked my about this he reminded me of the benefits of the ovaries. He's an oncologist specialist heonly removed my left ovary it had 3 cysts and caused me pain for years. So I wish you the best of luck you will be in my prayers.

I was similar to you. My dr wanted to remove my ovaries because of my age (49) and I researched and decided I didn't want them removed. I am not high risk for ovarian cancer. In the end I asked to to remove them only if there looked like there was a problem. When I woke up she told me right away that she had left me my ovaries. Yay! I was so happy. For now 5 days post op I am happy to have left them but I guess time will tell.

I was 24 when I had my hysterectomy, so I was leaning strongly towards keeping my ovaries. I didn't want to go on hormones after surgery, especially since I didn't react well to hormone therapy before hysterectomy was presented as an option. I don't regret my decision at all, and I like that my body is regulating itself. I had hot flashes for several months following the hysterectomy and it was pretty exhausting. I'm glad that's not happening anymore.

So for me, I think keeping my ovaries was a good decision, but I have a lot of years left before menopause.