I'm still on the Ovary Fence-need pros & cons please, I'm 45.

I've read & read & I'm starting to think I will never be absolutely sure of my decision. No one knows for sure how I will be with or without my ovaries after surgery until I'm going through it. My head tells me to go with the 100% healthy rule, the rest of me still wants them gone, along with any potential problems that they me be involved in later down the road. I've read where many do fine without them, even without HRT. I've read & heard where woman have to go back later & have them removed anyway for various reasons. On the other side of the coin I've read how important they are & how terrible being thrown into medopause can be. My doctor says in her opinion I am boarderline as far as my age & she can't recommend one way or another & implied I would be fine either way.

I am a pros & cons type of person & like to decide that way. Tell me the facts, stats & opinions you have. Maybe that will help me decide.

There are still things I don't fully understand like the connection between the Ovaries & the heart & with the Ovaries gone can you completely compensate for that with good health habits. And the bone loss factor with no ovaries, can that be replaced with proper calcium suppliments, weight bearing exercises etc.

I had my TAH done at 48, doctor left ovaries. I was fine with that, and they resumed functioning soon after surgery (just ask dh about my PMS!). Unfortunately, I had to have a second surgery, and it became a surprise BSO. (OVaries were essentially destroyed to access lymph nodes). I was relieved, and that surprised me, although I guess once you are diagnosed with cancer, you think about these things differently. I worry about osteoporosis, heart problems, etc. And also about the fact that taking the ovaries does not guarantee you'll never get ovarian cancer (cheerful thought, eh?)

I guess I'd think about removal IF I was menopausal or if I had a family history of breast or ovarian cancer. Otherwise, I'd say that researchers are still discovering the way our ovaries, uterus, etc. work in our bodies (for instance, there's a connection with the thyroid, since the uterus is part of the endocrine system)and I'd rather have my functioning parts functioning, even if I don't know what that function actually is. Plus ovarian cancer (the fear of which is why, I assume, you are debating removal) is not all that commmon of a cancer. Your likelihood of having heart disease is far greater than your likelihood of OVCA.

Should the surgeon have to take your ovaries out for whatever reason (that was my deal with my doc--take them out if things look bad) I will say that my experience with surgical menopause (and I wasn't close to it naturally) has been a breeze, at least as far as common complaints go. No hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain, etc.

However you decide, good luck to you.

Valarie

stacyshan,
Another sister recommended this site about surgical menopause. It is very good at explaining everything. It answered sooo many of my questions. I printed off pages and pages and was so happy to have info available at the click of a mouse. Maybe you will find it helpful too.

http://www.geocities.com/NoLinks/

Good luck with your decision.

p.s. that page loads kind of crazy (at least w/ my browser) so scroll down for the info. if you don't see it.

Stacyshan,

I was 45 when I had my hyster last year. I was determined to keep my ovaries and not go the HRT route. There had been some cysts from time to time, but they weren't causing a lot of discomfort. About 2 weeks before my castle date, I had a cyst rupture at work. Right then and there, after I picked myself up off the floor, I decided to have the ovaries taken.

It's been just over a year. I've been on Vivelle-dot 0.05 and I've never felt better. No mood swings, no hot flashes, no more aches and pains from periods, cysts or PMS. While it may not be the right choice for everyone, it was the right choice for me.

Make sure you read all you can and ask your doctor questions. Make sure NOTHING is going on with your ovaries. I had an agreement with my doctor that he'd leave them if they looked healthy (until the cyst ruptured). I trusted him enough that I knew he'd do as I wished.

Good luck!
s
Cat

Ovaries are connected with Thyroid? I am on thyroid medicine now, how could having my ovaries removed affect that, what is the connection?

Beth-does that website take a pretty middle of the road approach to the subject or are they strongly against removing ovaries because it's made their lives miserable? It does look like a great website.

Cat- your case is exactly what I'm talking about & I've heard several such cases. Many people on this site talks about cysts & fibroids & I figure if I don't have ovaries I will elliminate all those possibe problems. You just never know what could happen down the road. A ruptured cyst, how odd is that & your Dr didn't even have a clue it was at that point, I guess. If it hadn't ruptured before surgery, would your Dr have left the ovaries, I'm wondering. You were determined to keep your ovaries, if your cyst hadn't ruptured but having gone through that now, would you still be AS determined to keep your ovaries?

With my Dr doing a VH, will she be able to get a really good complete look at my ovaries from where she'll be, to make the best decision?

Can all side effects of having the Ovaries removed be contolled or helped with alternative measures?

I'd had "complex" cysts show up on ultra sounds in the past year, but they'd never burst. They'd go away and one would show up on the other side...really didn't cause much trouble so I didn't think much about them. Doctor said that it would probably be best to take the ovaries, but it was my choice since nothing "bad" was going on with them.

I'm on Synthroid and have been for a number of years. They had to increase my dosage after my hyster.

s
Cat

Cat - My synthroid is .125, how much higher did they increase yours? Do you think loosing my ovaries will really screw up my thyriod or just affect it a little bit. Maybe metopause does that anyway because they just recently increased mine, which had never been done before.

Mine went from 0.05 to 0.075

s
Cat

stacyshan--

I'm trying to remember where I got my info--it may have been in the book Woman: An Intimate Geography by Natalie Angier, which has a fascinating section on reproductive anatomy/hysterectomy, well worth picking up to read. I know I have read that thyroid cancer spikes in the 18 months following hysterectomy, then falls to pre-hyst rates.

Valarie

Stacy,

You have gotten some good responses and I don't really have anything else to add. It is a tough decision! I just wanted to let you know that I wish the best for you and I hope and will pray that the decision you ultimately make for yourself will work out great! Best of luck!

Deb