Ovaries....the same old question

I'm 46 and mine are going. We have a Fam history of breast cancer and colon cancer. Brother in law an ob Gyn. He said they should go... Ovarian cancer too hard to detect until it has spread. Out with the hard boiled eggs...

I'm 42 & 2 days post-op. My doc was undecided, going in, whether I'd be able to keep them or not. His goal had been to try to keep at least one. Well, our decision was made for us in surgery. My ovaries, according to doc, were "a mess." They were both chock full of unruptured cysts & were pulled so far out of place from adhesions, they needed to go.

I was a little disappointed, at first, but they were in such bad shape, I probably wasn't producing the amt of hormones I should have anyway (I've been feeling 'peri-menopausal' for a long time). I know it's only two days out, but, so far, I haven't had any hot flashes or big mood swings. In fact, other than the typical post-surgery woes, I actually feel better, hormonally, than I did before.

The doc said he'd discuss HRT with me at 2 wk post-op. Some women get by just fine without it. Hope I'm one of them.

Bottom line is that if they do end up needing to take them, don't fret. Chances are good it's still a vast improvement over the way you feel pre-op. Best regards to you!

Angela

Hi,
I'm 41yrs. When I first started considering a hysterectomy a few years ago my plan was always to leave my ovaries in place. I didn't want to take meds and I didn't want to go into surgical menopause.
However in the last 18mths I've had younger family members (in their 20's and 30's) diagnosed with cancer as well my dad (in his early/mid 60's). This prompted a whole round of family genetic testing.
End result = At 41yrs of age I was the oldest living person in my family with a uterus. Strong recommendation from x4 different medical opinions to have BSO/TLH as soon as possible. I did this and it turned out that my ovaries were not healthy anyway. I was put onto Livial day 2 post op and I feel great.
HOWEVER, if it wasn't for the genetics thing I would've opted to keep my ovaries.
You need to consider if you can deal with the inevitability of surgical menopause. You mentioned that you don't want to take HRT. Consider how strongly you feel about that because at your age with no ovaries some form of replacement therapy will be required - hormones or supplements etc.
Best of luck with whatever you decide

Thank you all so much for your input. I don't know why this is such a hard decision. I see both sides and I just don't know what to do. My doctor seems to be more on the side of take them out which kind of bothers me a bit. He has been my doc for 22 years and I've always loved and trusted him and still do. I don't have a family history of reproductive cancers but my brother died of cancer 10 years ago and my my died 4 years ago of lung cancer (due to smoking). I had a lot to deal with over the last 5 years and have suffered emotionally from time to time. The thought of menopause TERRIFIES me to be honest!! I can't imagine heaping more emotions on top of what I experience now....not to mention the changes to hair, skin, libido, etc... Wish this was easier!

	Quote:
Originally Posted by coconut1 Thank you all so much for your input. I don't know why this is such a hard decision. I see both sides and I just don't know what to do. My doctor seems to be more on the side of take them out which kind of bothers me a bit. He has been my doc for 22 years and I've always loved and trusted him and still do. I don't have a family history of reproductive cancers but my brother died of cancer 10 years ago and my my died 4 years ago of lung cancer (due to smoking). I had a lot to deal with over the last 5 years and have suffered emotionally from time to time. The thought of menopause TERRIFIES me to be honest!! I can't imagine heaping more emotions on top of what I experience now....not to mention the changes to hair, skin, libido, etc... Wish this was easier!

You have been through a lot recently. In case it helps, my doctor discussed anecdotal stories of how to predict what your menopause may be like when we were discussing my options. He asked what I was like during periods, whether I suffered from PMS or severe PMS. Also he asked what my mother's experience of menopause was like. He thought that if someone suffered severe PMS they were more likely to have a rough menopause. Similarly if your mother went through a hard time, chances are you would to. That didn't help me as I didn't really suffer from PMS but my mum had a tough menopause. However, I had had various treatments over the years including chemical menopause from medication on more than one occasion - that didn't bother me at all. So I assumed that perhaps I didn't react much to hormones or the lack of them.

Also check out the menopause section for articles and the posts on no ovaries with or without HRT. It may relieve your fears of menopause and make your decision easier.