should I leave ovaries

The doctor said that he would take my ovaries if they were damaged. I ultimately told his nurse that I wanted them taken but now am rethinking that statement. I have no history of ovarian cancer that I'm aware of--at least my mother & my sisters have had no problems as of this time. Unknown about further back. The doctor will do a lap/vaginal hysterectomy & a bladder sling. I am soon to be 50 years old. I know I am close to my menopause but I'm not sure I want to be thrown into surgical menopause. I do not want them to take any organs out that are healthy & don't need to be taken out. If the doctor finds them damaged, then that is no problem, I will go with it. But I really am leaning towards leaving them if healthy. Any thoughts?

I told my doctor to leave mine in if they were healthy.. As soon as I woke up, that was the first thing I asked.. I'm glad to keep them.. It's a personal thing, but the ovaries are so important in my opinion. do some research so you can do what is best for you.

I had such a hard time making this decision. My doctor really wanted to take my ovaries while he was in there, although nothing was wrong with them. I finally decided to go with my gut feeling and I kept them. I am 40 years old. I think if I was 50 I would have had them removed, but that is just me. You have to go with your gut feeling. Good Luck!!

Hi Concerned2,

I was 46 at the time of my hyst. I too did not have a history of ovarian cancer. My Dr. and I thought - why remove my ovaries since they were healthy. I am 2 yrs post op now and my ~little fellas~ are still working great.

In pre-op, I also read that the ovaries secrete important hormones that help with the bones, skin and hair, to name a few. Also, ~newer~ studies are showing that the ovaries secrete important hormones well into menopause. And the hormones are free!!

If you think you want to remove them in the end, I suggest you research surgical menopause. I went through temporary chemical menopause when I did lupron shots to shrink my fibroids enough for my LSH. I had hot flashes and night sweats and...whew...that also helped me decide I wanted natural menopause.

Best wishes. Don't worry. You will make the right choice.

Mary

I'm 50 and I am having my ovaries removed because mine are not functioning properly (ovarian cysts).

I did loads of online research and had a long talk with my GYN and GP to discuss my options should I keep them or have them removed - and if I removed them...my options for ERT.

IMHO - talk with your doctor, then you'll be able to make a decision that is best for you.

Good luck - and I hope you come to a decision that you feel comfortable and confident with.

Noni