In natural menopause; do I keep ovary?

I go next Wednesday to get a LAVH and I am in the natural menopause. My FSH kevels are 58 and I am 39 tomorrow. The question is, do I keep my one remaining ovary in? Is there a purpose for it to be there even though I am in the menopause? I had my left ovary removed 4 1/2 years ago and every since then my hormones have been screwed up. Low libido, bladder getting weaker, endometriosis pain, etc. So if I am in the menopause that means that ovary isn't working anyways, right? Any purpose to keep it there?

I had one ovary removed due to endo scarring and cyst last year and am having everything removed this year! Including bowel resection( which I'm not happy about). My remaining ovary is coming out to prevent the further growth of the endo in case any gets left behind. Keeping it didn't even cross my mind I'm 41, have what I can only assume are hot flashes and night sweats occasionally anyway and I figure I will have menopause eventually so, why risk further problems by leaving it it, it can't cause any trouble if it isn't there!!! Good luck with your decision and Happy Birthday!

I had both mine removed 4 1/2 months ago. I had an autoimmune problem with them that was painful and debilitating. I wish I had known more before the surgery but can't say whether my decision would have been different. I've just learned that the peri-menopausal symptoms that so many of us experience are not from our ovaries whacking out necessarily. But most of the time is from the decreasing hormone levels as we age. So if you remove the ovaries, those symptoms will likely worsen, unless you replace them. I was started on Premarin but had difficulty with it, so cold turkeyed off it. The menopause hit me like a brick building. When I experienced sexual dysfunction galore and night sweats/sleep probs that keep me from having any kind of a life at all, I got desperate. I didn't expect that I would experience any kind of sexual problems at all. I'm too young to lose this part of me. I'm investigating some other things. From what I've been learning, the hormones are like the fuel that makes the vehicle run. Without the ovaries, several hormones will no longer be produced. Even though you're already menopausal, the ovaries will continue to make small amounts of hormones. Of course, as long as you have ovaries, there are risks such as ovarian cancer and for me, I guess I would've continued to have the ovarian disease process I had. So you just have to weigh the potential risks and benefits in your individual case. After you learn all you can, only then can you make a truly educated decision. Unfortunately, my experiences and that of others is that your Dr. is not going to be the one to give you complete info. Maybe it would take too much time or they figure that's up to us. Since you only have one, maybe your symptoms will be miniscual. But, I don't think anyone can know that for sure. Consider that you may experience other problems. Be prepared for the possibility and the alternatives if you choose to go ahead. Best wishes for you.

I'm 54, sorta between perimenopause and menopause, having my LSH in March. My doctor intends to leave my ovaries if he can, because he feels they will produce enough estrogen and testosterone for the next 5-10 years to put off HRT and ensure continued sex drive.

your ovary is still supplying you with hormones even though you are in perimenopause. ovaries produce hormones even after menopause..so you might want to think about keeping it. if you have it removed, you will go into surgical menopause. its not always easy to replace those hormones with hrt. if your ovary is healthy, you might want to think about keeping it. do lots of research and go into the surgery sure of what you want. good luck

I was menopausal when I had a tah/bso because of precancerous tumors. I didn't have a choice about keeping my ovaries - they had to go. I would have chosen to keep them if I could have. My dr told me that the ovaries continue to produce after menopause - just at a reduced level. Even though I was started on hrt the day after my surgery, I still had some pretty unpleasant menopausal symptoms. It all got evened out with some tweaking of my hrt dosage. I'm 5 years post-op now and still taking the hrt ( a lower dosage now ).

So, my advice is to keep your ovary if it's at all possible.

Best wishes.

S