DaVinci, Doc wants to remove ovaries

I an 54 with two mature sons and a very supportive husband. I believe that my ovaries are still functioning to some degree. Yes I have moderate hot flashes every few days, no vaginal dryness, cramping from what I think is ovulation, skin and hair are still pretty good. But my doc has recommended removing my ovaries based purely on my age. Any helpful comments? I agree the hysterectomy should happen since I'm bleeding all the time and I have a rather large fibroid tumor attached to the uterus. Any advice would be great!

I had the same discussion with my doctor. He was adamant in removing them and once we had "words", he left them in. I learned on this site that ovaries continue producing a low level of hormones even after menopause and that was important to me. I didn't see why healthy organs should be removed.

I guess I sort of ended up eating my "words" a year later when I found out that my biological mother (no contact with her since I was 10 years old) died of ovarian cancer. I am not sure what my decision would have been if I had known that at the time of surgery. Anyhow, in the end, I am very happy to still have them as I had a super easy time with menopause. I have a few hot flashes and a few night sweats but nothing debilitating. My doctor is checking up on me yearly in case ovarian cancer crops up but in the meantime, life is good.

If you have no factors that would affect your ovaries in any way, I would suggest keeping them. Age is and wasn't a good enough reason for me to have them removed.

I hope this helps.

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Originally Posted by SueSW I an 54 with two mature sons and a very supportive husband. I believe that my ovaries are still functioning to some degree. Yes I have moderate hot flashes every few days, no vaginal dryness, cramping from what I think is ovulation, skin and hair are still pretty good. But my doc has recommended removing my ovaries based purely on my age. Any helpful comments? I agree the hysterectomy should happen since I'm bleeding all the time and I have a rather large fibroid tumor attached to the uterus. Any advice would be great!

Hi Sue agree with Danni age alone is not a medical issue requiring removal of your ovaries. At the very least have another discussion with your doctor as to the reasons why it is recommended as at this stage you cannot give informed consent without knowing and understanding the reasoning. And if you can seek a second opinion. This does not mean you have to change doctors for the surgery, just make sure you know why and are comfortable with the decisions.

My doctor told me that in my case if I was more concerned about cancer, remove them, and if I was more concerned about menopause, he would try to save one. One definitely had to go. I had already had 2 cancer scares so decided to have them both removed instead of worrying and perhaps having another operation later. The "good" one had a large cyst anyway. I have been happy with my decision so far. I was not menopausal before but seem to be doing ok with some HRT. And the "good" ovary turned out to have some small pre-cancerous type cysts as well.

Good luck with your surgery.

I am 48 and had them removed...in talking with my Dr she said 1 in 81 woman who keep their ovaries end up with ovarian cancer... after a hysterectomy it is hard to detect the symptoms. By the time you find out it is already too late.. 6 months to a year to live...... I had some hot flashes not severe...no mood swings....no HRT...no regrets. I had bad fibroid tumors and cysts... my ultrasound showed a tumor the size of a large cantaloupe my uterus was 3 times its size and. I have read on here that some woman who kept one or both ovaries still had lower abdominal pain and hot flashes even mood swings...best to talk to others search the web and your Dr to make the best decision for you...good luck

I was post menopausal and had my ovaries removed, expecting no change. Wrong. I had worse menopause symptoms than ever before. If you have healthy ovaries, why remove them. It's a personal decision, but I'd advise keeping them if they are healthy.

Personally, I would only have them removed if there is a suspicion of cancer or a family history of ovarian, breast, or colorectal cancer. They do still produce small amounts of hormones throughout life. I had to have one of mine removed because it developed a gigantic tumor on it. I insisted that the surgeon leave my other ovary as long as it looked normal and the tumor was benign. The pathologists were not able to determine if it was cancerous or not during the surgery, so the surgeon called my husband from the operating room to ask what to do. Thankfully he said to leave my good ovary as it turns out that the tumor was benign. Anyways, ovaries, even after menopause do more good than harm. I say keep them if possible.