how risky is it to keep the ovaries??

So much anxiety- have hyperplasia with high grade atypia,( Just as a note I'm 49 never had any pain or problems with my periods.) first Dr. (male) at cancer center said must remove everything. Totaly freaked out when for 2nd opinion at another cancer center -another Dr. (female) also said should have uterus and cervix remover but if no cancer was aparent she was OK with leaving my ovaries as long as I was aware of the risks. Both my mother and father have had cancer but no uterine or colon cancer. I know she detailed other risks but they did not stay in my stressed out brain. I did some rerearsh got totaly freaked out at surival rate in ovarin cancer and how hard it is to detect.

Here is the other delima (sp?) I have two surgery scheduled right now (talk about over kill- I dont even want one!) When I left first Dr. I felt I had no choice about surgrery so we strater the ball rolling. He will do laporcopic vaginal delivery(sp?), hospital has good rep and is very close to my home. It is sechduled for 4/23. When I saw second Dr. also very good hospital (but about 45 min to an hour away through city trafic will be a hardship for family to visit) and she gave me more options (will also do procedure same way but I got the feeling she might be comfortable doing abdominal) I got on her schedule for 5/5. Was going to call first dr. back and cancel - Then I found out more about ovarian cancer and don't know what to do. I have to call one of them back and cancel. I've tried writing down pros and con of each and have become immoble. One miniute I've made up my mind one way five miniutes latter I've switced positions again. I going nuts and driving my family nuts and I feel like such a whiner and a cry baby but I'm so darned scared. Any info or word of advice would be greatly appreciated. Bless this site!

I gave my doctor carte blanche to take my ovaries if anything looked bad, but she said they were fine and I kept them. I'm glad I did. I am not a candidate for HRT, and anyway,synthetic hormones really cannot replace what your ovaries put out there for you. As far as fear of cancer goes (and mine skyrocketed when I was dx'd with microinvasive cervical cancer) there is no connection between ovarian and cervical or uterine or endometrial cancer. Plus my doctor told me that even if she did remove the ovaries, ovarian cells would be left behind and that would be enough for cancer to grow on.....it is not typical, but it can happen.

I know my ovaries are still working--I get the usual symptoms of my period, but (whew!) no bleeding, no pain--just stuff like breast tenderness, which is something I can live with. Maybe I'll worry about having kept my ovaries at a future date, but since (at age 48) I was nowhere near menopause, I think I was better off keeping them. I guess it was a case of if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Whether or not to keep your ovaries is a very personal decision, and I guess you have to weigh the risks in your mind and then decide. For me, personally, ovarian cancer is a HUGE fear. I was on fertility drugs for several years and I know that increases my risk. Fortunately, my reasons for hysterectomy are not related to cancer, so I have elected to keep my one remaining ovary. But if I were in your position, I think I would have the ovaries removed if for no other reason than peace of mind.

Everyone is different, and for each person who elects to remove the ovaries, there is another who elects to keep them. No one can tell you what is right for you -- only you can know that after speaking with your doctors and considering the risks and benefits.

Best of luck to you in your decision!

I chose to keep one ovary. My Dr. suggested removing both just so i didn't have the ovarian cancer to worry about in the future but since there was no history of it in my family we agreed to keep one so i wouldn't have to go thru the HRT. I was really having a hard time dealing with that. Plus, it's kinda like my mother-in-law said....sometimes it's just best to let nautre take it's course and put the rest in a more pwerful hand....so i'm very satisfied with my decision. Had my TAH on the 31st and am feeling great outside of getting tired if i'm doing too much. Emotionally my only problem is financial because i hadn't been at my job long enough for med. leave or such so i had to quit and be rehired. Hopefully this will work out too. Good luck and be comfortable with your decision.

I have opted to keep my ovaries for now.

This is only after considering my options, doing a lot of research and having a heart to heart discussion with Prince Charming (my gyn). My decision mainly lies in the fact that I have many years to go till menopause, and my ovaries are healthy right now.

Yes I run the risk of my endo growing back, but I am willing to take that risk, rather than putting myself into surgical menopause. I can always have my ovaries removed later by laparoscopy, and have any remaining endo cleaned up at that time.

If you are leaning toward removal of your ovaries, PLEASE talk to your doc about HRT, and read as much as you can on the subject.


Tam

I too opted to keep my ovaries. They were healthy and the chance of ovarian cancer is low since it doesn't run in my family. Nothing will match the natural hormones that your ovaries make....they can come close with HRT but I don't think it's ever the same. There are some hormones that you ovaries make that don't get replaced with HRT. Not that HRT is bad - I know many women who are doing fine with HRT who had their ovaries removed. It is truly a personal decision that only you can make. If it was me, i'd keep my ovaries as they are very important in your overall health

According to a book that I read before my surgery keeping your ovaries DOES NOT increase the risk of ovarian cancer. Even if you remove your ovaries your risk does not decrease as you can still have cancer "seeds" that can disperse into the pelvic region.

At a point in time you have to make your decision and just let the doubts go. You cannot control EVERY aspect of your body nor can you predict what will happen in the future. You need to trust that no matter what happens you will deal with it at that time and God will give you the grace to get through whatever it is. Only He knows what's in your future and at some point your going to have to just lay it all at His feet and rest in the fact that He knows what's best for your life.

I am such a dork. I kept looking to see if anyone had answered and could not find the thread (?) pretty new to navagating sites like this- Anyway Thank You all so much for your imput - Even though it is a personal decision I can't believe how much better it feels to have others who have faced similar situations share there thoughts. I still keep flip floping but at least now I'm pretty sure I'm going with the Dr. that is giving me a choice! Best thoughts and prays to all.

OS

I also had (recurrent) hyperplasia with atypia. I evaluated whether or not to keep my ovaries, but frankly, at my age (53) my ovaries weren't doing that much for me and the concept of having atypical (abnormal) cells in the uterus to my mind meant a high likelihood of problems down the road anyway. I was not worried about ovarian cancer, but that's not the only issue with ovaries. A pelvic ultrasound indicated some problems with both ovaries, so it was decided to remove them as well. It turned out that I had quite a bit of endometriosis in the right ovary and tube (with stromal hyperplasia), and a cyst consistant with endo in the left ovary (the left tube was OK). The surgeon also said there was a small simple cyst on the left ovary that was "leaking" and had formed adhesions to the pelvic wall. I am very relieved they are history. Those ovaries weren't going to get better with time, that's for sure!

You need to understand the big picture of what can happen to ovaries, not just a concern about ovarian cancer. And you need to know where you stand hormonally...a FSH test will tell you how "productive" your ovaries are. And a pelvic ultrasound will give you a better idea as to the condition of the ovaries.

I had a LAVH/BSO and frankly, unless it were contraindicated, that would be the best choice. The recovery (for me) has been very easy. I spent just one night in the hospital, and had no need for pain meds within 48 hours of coming home.

I'd advise you to get a lot more information about your own health status, including a FSH test and a pelvic ultrasound. You need to know how the ovaries are functioning and their condition before making any decisions.