To take the ovaries or not...

Here is my experience: I kept my ovaries because they were healthy, but I was concerned about PMS. I have found that my symptoms are greatly diminished since my surgery. A great deal of my premenstrual discomfort was my uterus being so boggy and full of blood.

Now I have some breast tenderness and I can feel those twinges when I ovulate... nothing like I had before, though.

Ladies -

I went for pre-op at the doctors yesterday and to be honest...I didn't even talk with him about maybe taking the ovaries out. Before I posted I had it in my mind that I'd keep them and then someone mentioned to me to think about taking them out since I was already in surgery. I realized, for me, that it's not the right thing to do and I'm extremely happy with that decision.

I asked the doctor about PMS and he said that I should see the symptoms decrease greatly. He said that studies are linking PMS to the build up of blood in the uterus as well as the hormones the ovaries make. Without one it should decrease...yay for my DH! :0)

He ended up being about 45 minutes late and after the exam, when I told him I had a couple of questions he looked at his watch (which kinda ticked me off) so I said it's just a couple, it won't take long. To which he replied...ask as many as you want, take as much time. So, he saved himself on that one. He was great at answering the questions.

The next thing I'm not sure about is the anethesia but I'll ask that in a different thread.

Thanks for your responses everyone!

To remove ovaries or not was my biggest concern when I had my hysterectomy June 30. I did have mine removed and have not had a problem with surgical menopause... no hrt and doing fine. My doctor kept telling me that one in 70 women get ovarian cancer... I have had two c-sections, so I decided that 3 major surgeries was enough and I had my ovaries removed to prevent furture problems. They did end up having some small cysts in them (post op path). I am 46 years old and was probably pre-menopausal without knowing it the past few years which is why I imagine I have not had instant side-effects that I was warned about. So I am glad that I don't have to worry about my ovaries, don't have to take hrt, and am recovering slowly but surely from my hysterectomy. My mother had (71) estrogen receptive breast cancer diagnosed a few years ago so I also wanted to eliminate extra estrogen sources for myself. The ovary question is the BIG question that no one seems to have a clear answer for. Hope your surgery goes well and that you are happy with your decision!