To Keep or Not to Keep (my ovaries & cervix)... 6 days to decide

Sisters~ My "sudden" castle visit is a mere 6 days away and I am so confused about whether or not I should keep my cervix or ovaries. I suffer from endometriosis & have had 2 laps to remove adhesions on my ureter, bladder, bowels, and appendix. I'm worried that if I keep an ovary the endo will remain (but I'm reluctant about giving up both my flowers and their own power). I'm worried that if I get rid of my cervix I'll never enjoy sex again. What have your experiences been? I'm trying to hastily educate myself, and my favorite way to do that is by hearing "real" stories instead of statistics and medical jargon (which I already know). Any thoughts?
s ~Clementine

Hi Clementine,

This is a highly personal decision... There have been a lot of posts on this very topic--The GOOD news is that almost everyone seems to be happy with the decision they've made. What does your dr. recommend--esp. about the ovaries? Does he think the endo. will affect your ovaries? It seems to me that there are two issues that influence most people's decision: health (risk), and sexual concerns. Also--some say that the cervix provides pelvic floor support and prevents prolapse.

If your only concern about keeping your cervix is loss of sexual pleasure, I can tell you that I no longer have my cervix and I honestly cannot feel any difference. Well, actually that's not exactly true--it's so much BETTER now that I don't have to contend with the cramps & bleeding. The sensation is no different for me or for my husband. Some feel a difference for the first few times, but with healing things return to normal.

That is only "my" experience. I would advise doing a search using the keywords "keep cervix". You will get a variety of opinions. Ultimately, the decision is yours... I wish you the best!

I went through these very same questions before my TAH. What it boiled down to for me was this, I'm 32 years old, if my ovaries looked healthy when the doc got them in his hot little hands then we were keeping them. At that point it made perfect sense to me that they are still doing their job and will do their job for years, so healthy = keep them. Supposedly I'm many years away from menopause.

The cervix wasn't so cut and dry for me. I struggled with this one because for every take it note there's a leave it note. So, again, I looked to my doc and he explained it to me like this; leaving the cervix was a new fangled thing about 10 years ago and docs started doing it that way but throughout those years there hasn't been significant evidence that leaving it made any difference at all. And, taking it does decrease the cervical cancer risk, even just slightly. So, at that point, I just decided to go with what my trusted doc was saying to me. I came here and read posts that said sex was still fantastic without the cervix, so bye-bye cervix = one less thing to worry about.

So, that's how I got to my decisions on both of these topics. But, like it has been said before this is so personal. I struggled with the cervix one for a long while. I'm only 4 weeks out, so I can't talk about whether everything is still fabulous or not - but you can be sure I'll be updating you at 6 weeks!

Best of luck to you. You are doing the right thing by educating yourself and making the right decision based on what is best for you.

hi, i decided to take it all out--- cervix, ovaries, uterus, and appendix too! i also told my surgeon that he could take out anything that he saw that he didn't like. i think a lot has to do with your age and your family health/history, as well as your feelings about having surgery. i am 46, and had 3 c sections and did not want to keep having surgery in case anything developed later. i talked to 3 gyn oncologists, 1 reg gyn, and multiple physician friends. you need to evaluate your own situation including your feellings. you will know what is right for you.

Just my 2 cents. I had an emergency hyst one Fri. night in Jan. Didn't even know that the cervix was gone until I called and asked a week after the op. I had no idea they would take it out!

I am 5 mos. post op and pretty much confined to bed right now due to rapid prolapse of EVERYTHING (they got the vaginal vault anchored at a verticle angle, so there is no pelvic floor support). Let me tell you, it makes peeing excruitiating. Everything hurts. If you have IC, you have enough to deal with.

I can't decide if I'm stunned or want to bawl...my health was perfect until this hyst. Good luck--really.

This is such a hard decision. My doctor checked my hormone levels, and they are fine, so I decided to keep my ovaries. The cervix was much harder. My doctor told me that it would not make a difference for sexual pleasure. So I called my urologist and asked about bladder prolapse, and he said it was not dig enough to make a difference. So I decided to get it out, so I would not have to worry about pap smears and any bleeding later. I am only 5 weeks out, so I don't know about the sex, but my bladder is much happier!

Sisters ~Thank you for all of your helpful comments! I didn't know that pelvic floor support & cervix were interrelated; nor did I realize that keeping the cervix would mean continued pap smears (which makes sense, duh). My grandmother died from breast cancer that spread to either her ovaries or cervix (can't remember which), so I should ask my mom about that. Great idea to do a search entitled "keep cervix." You sisters are AWESOME! Thank you thank you thank you for sharing your stories. I now have so many intelligent things to ask my Dr about at my pre-op on Tuesday!
s ~Clementine

This is my first time to actually post anything here, but I have been reading extensively on this website prior to my 6/11/04 abdominal hysterectomy. The confusion over this issue of keeping ovaries and/or cervix is HUGE, and probably the most difficult decision I've ever had to make. My surgeon has no problem leaving the ovaries (if there is no malignancy anywhere) but still recommends removing my cervix. After much research, I have pretty much decided to keep my cervix, but would love to hear from anyone who has been through this and retained her cervix. My female surgeon told me "other problems" can develop if the cervix is NOT removed, and these problems could result in further surgery. Has this been anyone's experience, and if so, what other problems arose post-op? I'd be grateful for any responses...

My castle date is June 23.....I am so excited! I told my Doc to take it all! I am so sick of all my problems!
I'm not worried about sex. I have a wonderful DH and we can experiment. Personally I feel sex will be better for me. No cramps or spotting afterward. I so look forward to that! Not to be so blunt, but one night of pleasure gives me days of pain and spotting.
I rather get it all now than have to go back later for some other problem.
The Sisters are right.... it is your decision. Follow you heart, your gut, your instinct. Talk with your Doc some more.
God Bless!
LIW
Trina

CW611~I don't know what the source of your problems is-- for me it's endometriosis. My Dr is a specialist in lower pelvic pain & endo at a University hospital and he told me that for endometriosis the success rate of a total hysterectomy is about 95%. If I keep an ovary, it goes down to 50-70%, but I would not need HRT. He told me that HRT would get me feeling well (and that I would need it because I am too young to go w/o estrogen yet), but he also said I might not feel like "myself." I still don't understand how I could do HRT w/ no complications, but not keep an ovary, but I will ask him in my preOp on Tuesday. I honestly didn't know keeping my cervix was even an option until I read about it on this site (Thank you, Sisters!) but I will ask him about that as well.
Trina~You go, girl! I couldn't agree more about the sex thing. I hurt for days afterwards. We do all have to follow our own hearts, and we all have different circumstances too, but I gain courage from brave Sisters like you! Best of luck to you!
s ~Clementine