ovaries

Hi Ladies
i am a wreak, i have 10 days before surgery. october7th to be exact.
I need support and i need to decide if i want to keep an ovary. what should i do. i am only 36. it would put me into menopause.
Thank-you for this board.
Lisa

Hi Lisa! I'm only 35 and feeling exactly like you. My surgery isnt til the 27th and right now, I'm leaning toward having both ovaries removed. I was told I had premature ovarian failure 2 1/2 years ago, so I kinf of feel like, why keep them if they're failing already?? What advice has your doctor given you? Whatever you decide, you need to be comfortable with the decision. God bless and many hugs!!!

Lisa:

I stuggled with this too. I am quite a bit older (42) but have always heard that you should keep them (one) if you can. I do have cysts and some pain, but doctor has left it up to me to decide (assuming they were okay to keep). I have decided to have them taken out. I do have pain periodically and quite frankly do not want to leave them in....only to have them taken out later (and this does happen). Also, while many women do just fine with their ovaries left, some enter pre-mature menopause anyway, because they never kick back in completely or at all. I just weighed everything...including my age and decided that for ME...it would be best to do the HRT thing. I went through the Hormone Jungle Posts and decided that one of the transdermal patches would be my choice (Vivelle Dot). Obviously this is a personal decision and really you are the only one that can make it.

Good Luck!

Ok Lisa, take a deep breath.

Have you done a web search on this matter to gather as much information as you can? Try Web MD and Medscape. (When you do medscape don't get bogged down in the medical jargon; skip to the sum up paragraph.)

Have you thought through the pros and cons? If you have cyst problems will you have to have the left over overy taken out later?

What does your doctor say? Do you believe him/her? Do you have confidence in what he/she says?

Many many women have both overies out and report that life is better Post Pain .

What is the biggest problem for you being put into surgical menopause? What are you most afraid of? Are there medication factors that help a woman going into menopause? Has your doctor discussed various therapies with you? Have you read up on hormone replacement therapies, what is available and what you can do naturally? Have you gone to the Hormone Jungle on this site and studied?

As you begin to become more proactive in your treatment and care and what is happening to your body you will become stronger, more self assured and less frantic.

No one can tell you what to do; this is your decision; but KNOWLEDGE IS POWER and as you increase you knowledge base you will feel less like a victim of the medical machine and more like a partner.

You have 10 days, honey, start doing your homework, and you will feel better.

Then bring back your more defined questions, someone here will be able to help you reach understanding

Good Luck Sweetie; you can do it.

Dilu

I'm 34 and had my surgery on July 15. I told my doctor that if my ovaries looked okay to leave them. I didn't need hormone problems on top of everything else. Everybody has to make that decision for themselves. I've been really happy with my result. I haven't had one problem related to my hormones.

Lisa,

I just wanted to share my experience but like the other sisters have said you need to do research and weigh your options and only you can make the ultimate decision. I too am 36 years old and am unable to do HRT for blood pressure issues, migraines and am a smoker.

I was diagnosed after surgery with endo which I thought I had all along for the past several years, along with ovarian cysts and beginning appendicitis.

I had cysts rupture on my right ovary prior to surgery and during surgery doc found it encased with endo with more cysts. She took the right one only. The left one was clean and healthy.

I was 12 weeks postop yesterday and have never felt better. You did not mention why you are having hyst or what type of surgery. I had a TAH/RSO/Appendectomy.

My remaining left ovary seems to be holding its own pretty well. During the first month postop I did have some nighttime hot flashes but no sweating and that only lasted for a couple weeks and still get tender breasts and a little bloating as my only 2 symptons of pms and they are nowhere near as bad as they were prior to surgery.

My quality of life is so much better postop than it was prior. I have no more pain, no more bleeding and was fortunate to have an uneventful recovery at home. In the past month I have started to feel like a different person. The "new" me is enjoying life and all that comes with it. I don't have to exert my energy on getting through each day and pretending on the outside everything is ok. My sex life has never been better which is a fear we all have and thank God for that. My dbf says it is now the best. :O)

People that know me all tell me how great I look (an added bonus for me is that I have lost and kept off so far almost 15 pounds) and how much more pleasant and happy I seem. It is true. My self-esteem is soaring for once in my life and I am now happy with my body which I cursed before for failing me.

Sometimes the ovary(ies) can go into shock postop and that may take a while for them to "wake up" and start functioning again but this was not an issue for me.

I hope that you will get feedback from other recovered princesses and it will help to make your decision. Only you and your doctor (if you have faith in him/her) can determine what is the best for you.

Good luck with your decision and let us know how things go!!!!

Take care!

jody

I'm 42..ovaries were fine so Dr left them as we had discussed. I also didn't want an additional thing to deal with in having to deal with HRT

Best wishes

I was hoping to keep my ovaries, but the gyn/oncologist recommends having them removed. I'm 33 and didn't want to go through the stress of surgical menopause, but I figured it would be even more stressful if I leave in the ovaries and have to worry about more cancer. So out those ovaries are gonna come! I've come to the conclusion of why risk more problems later on to spare myself some hot flashes and mood swings. Heck, I get them without menopause. LOL