Q re Ovarian cysts & hormones

I have been given a surgery date of June 17 to have my uterus removed and hopefully they can save my right ovary. I was told that I have two cysts the size of baseballs in my uterus and some kind of cysts on my right ovary. In an effort to save my ovary the Dr. put me on a hormone called Norethindrone to take until the time of my surgery and a shot that I will get in about 10 days of a hormone, in hopes to shrink the cysts on the ovary. My question is...if the hormone ...which is a pregestin shrinks the cysts on my ovary enough to save it and it doesn't need to be removed...what keeps them from growing back on my ovary? If they are going to continue to grow...would it be better to just remove it? Am I going to have to be on hormones forever? I sure don't want that! I scared and unsure if the hormones are only a temporary fix...am I right? What if the cysts return on my ovary...then what? Is it better to remove the ovary than to have the growth come back? Will my ovary be ok with new cysts if they come back? Please help...I have many questions and concerns and am very scared...but this is my big one for now...Thanks for your help and advise on this question if you have any experience or knowledge I would sure appreciate it!

Very smart questions. Write them down and when you go back, or call if the visit is too far away, get your GYN's answers. We all are different and our doctors are different, so no two answers will quite match. (they'll likely be similar) but doctors make the plan of care, and with your input together you decide the course of treatment.

Let us know how it turns out. And good luck. Blessings.

Hi Illianna


You have a lot of very good questions, and I am going to suggest that you get them all answered to your satisfaction BEFORE your hysterectomy.

Unusually large ovarian and uterine cysts, if they are not cancerous, are usually caused by hormone imbalances. The hormone experts are Endocrinologists. They are the ones who can do the testing to find out what your imalance is, and know if it can be corrected without surgery.

Concerning HRT. If you have an imbalance, it may take HRT to get you balanced. An imbalance means that you are not making hormones in the right amounts that you need them.

If you have both ovaries removed, then you will be thrown further out of balance because your ovaries will not be making ANY hormones. Healthy ovaries continue to make estrogen for the rest of our lives, just in smaller amounts. Replacing those hormones is usually important as estrogen helps with bone and heart health, and speaking for me, I just don't feel well without it.

I suffered for years from an endocrine disorder that causes cysts and other problems. I did end up having my ovaries removed, and then seeing an endocrinologist to get my hormones balanced, and I feel better than I have ever felt because of her knowledge and help. I wish I had seen an endocrinologist before my surgery, because with proper treatment, I may not have needed the hysterectomy or the oophorectomy. Once you have either removed, it cannot be replaced.

See if you can get in to see an Endocrinologist soon. They commonly have a several month waiting list, so it really might be worth it to you to postpone your hysterectomy until you have exhausted all your other options. There are many women who wish they had done that, as a hysterectomy and/or oophorectomy, while taking care of some bothersome symptoms, does not always take care of the underlying cause of the problem.

I wish you the best.


Kay