Post-Op members only: Did you keep your ovaries?

I'm only 40, so the plan was to keep the ovaries (lapro. supracervical hyst. due to fibroids and severe abdominal pain), but when they got inside they discovered severe endometriosis (the likely cause of most of my pain). My ovaries were stuck to my uterus and stuff was stuck to my bladder and bowls. My ovaries were too diseased to save. I'm quite upset about it, but what's done is done and I will find a way to cope. It really was for the best considering that had I kept them I would probably still be in pain and end up needing surgery again later to remove them. I'm just very sad to be in menapause so much earlier than I ever could've imagined. I'm 3 days post-op -- no real hot flashes yet. Dr. is going to put me on progesterone for a while first and then we'll figure out hormone replacement as needed.

What's most upsetting is that the endometriosis was so sever and yet never diagnosed (or even mentioned/considered as a possible cause of my pain). If you have severe pelvic pain please ask for some tests to find out if you have endometriosis - it can be hard to diagnose from what I understand, but I would think if you catch it early enough you could save some of your organs!

Best to all!!

Because of my age, the Dr. said that I should have them removed. We dicided to remove them. When he did the TAH, he said that there really was not a choice, that he had to remove them because of the cycsts that were on both ovaries. Plus the adhesions had done a job to them also. The best decision I have made was to have my TAH/BSO.

I was blessed to keep both my ovaries. I had a partial hysterectomy and my ovaries were in excellent condition.

Since I had very large, fast growing fibroids, the decision was made to remove both ovaries. But when the doctor got in there, he couldn't find the right one. He finally found it, but it was incredibly tiny. He has no idea what caused it, but he was sincerely surprised.
Even being tiny, he said that it was alive and the remainder looked healthy, so he left it. He's hoping it will produce enough hormones to keep me from going into immediate menopause.

My doctor suggested I keep my overies since I didn't have a history of ovarien cancer...but my family history is filled with heart deases. I am 45 and my hormone levels are still normal. I feel we made the best choice for me.

I wasn't given the option of keeping my ovaries even though there's no history of cancer in my family. I was dx with endo cancer and since it was estrogen responsive they wanted to make sure to minimize any estrogen production and remove all sites that it could likely recur in. I was/am concerned about aging faster w/o hormones but so far (at 6 mos. out) just some hot flashes are about all that's noticeable. I do have a family history of osteoporosis and strokes but about all I can do is nutritional, exericise and hope!

I had a huge Rt ovarian cyst (all the way up to my belly button) that necessitated surgery to begin with and I figured I'd get rid of my uterus at the same time. I'd had a myomectomy in '00 and didn't want to deal with that again since I wasn't really looking to a 2nd abdominal surgery, much less a 3rd. My Dr wanted me to keep my Lt ovary, but since I had fibroids on my uterus, a cyst on my other ovary and cysts on my cervix, I figured that one was going to freak out at some point in time, Might as well get rid of it at the same time. I was already getting hot flashes and some night sweats, so figured menopause was right around the corner. I am missing that poor Lt ovary a little now. The night sweats right after surgery were awful! Better now on Premarin.

I hi. I haven't posted in a while. I'm 3 weeks post surgery. I ended up keeping my right tube and ovary because the doctor said they were too far up to reach. I'm glad though, so I can go through the change naturally. I have to say though, I am going through some weird, maybe hormonal, changes. Is that normal post surgical? I have to say though, besides the mild cramps, and I do mean mild, I feel SO WONDERFUL! What was I afraid of, really? I had a vaginal hysterectomy and a sling put in to hold up the bladder. Wow, I'm a new woman in every way! I have done the best thing ever. I am recovering so amazingly fast. I have gone through some major changes post surgery, but everything with my hysterectomy has been such a great experience. Thanks for all the advice from everyone. Ruth

I was 39 years at time of surgery which made up part of the reason I kept both my ovaries. My docs and I decided it was right thing to do given my history with hormone treatments of every kind. Different docs agreed that my body would somehow try to over-ride any treatment of this kind and I'd end up a hormonal mess! It would give my body a chance to behave as normally as possible post op and if there were any problems, then they would still have the option to remove them at a later date.

At time of surgery 5 years ago (today!), I was told I could expect my ovaries to work ok for up to 5 years. So far so good and I'm hoping they will long continue as they are. To be honest, I don't think either the docs or myself had any idea what to expect from them so I'm really glad we took this decision to keep them.

I had been plagued for years with ovarian cysts that would burst and were quite painful. One looked "suspect" and was removed a year ago. One of the reasons for my hyster is the debillitating pain and bleeding, some of which was caused by the cysts on the remaining ovary. That's why I had the remaining ovary removed along with the uterus.