Ovaries removal, yes or no?

Hi,
I am brand new to this board and this is my first post. Its a great place! I am having surgery for uterine prolapse (removal of uterus), cystocele (fallen bladder) and a rectocele. Originally I was accepting of just removing my uterus. Now my surgeon says that because I am 46 I should have the ovaries taken out, too. She said it would eliminate the chance of ovarian cancer. I wasn't prepared to go thru menopause, psychologically right now. I am really afraid of going thru menopause surgically as opposed to naturally. Its so abrupt and all. I am one of those people who could never take the birth control pill because the hormones made my body feel pregnant (weight gain and horribly sore breasts). When I get PMS now, the worst part is how sore my breasts get. It is almost unbearable. It is definitely getting worse as I age. I am so afraid that if I do end up having the ovaries out instead of just the uterus, that the hormone replacement therapy will make me miserable (especially the sore breasts part). If I knew that the sore breasts thing would go away with the surgical menopause, I would probably go for it. Can someone please help me. I am so **** confused as to what to do. Leave the ovaries or take them out. Menopause tends to come in the mid-fifties in my family. I will be 47 in Jan.
Thanks SO... much for any replies. I am starting to get really bummed out by all of this.

Hi Sue. If you feel like you want to keep your ovaries, tell your doctor you want to keep them! I don't agree with taking them out if nothing is wrong with them, not matter what your age. It's your body, so tell him/her what you want done with it. Usually ovaries are only taken out if you have endo, or if there's a problem with the ovaries themselves. You didn't mention either of those, so I'd assume they're fine, and if you don't have a family history of ovarian cancer, there's no reason for you to take them out. Just my opinion.

Hi SueKZ,

Welcome to Hystersisters!! While I'm sorry that you are facing surgery, I am very glad that you found us.

I had my hyst last year (at the age of 55) for prolapses, too. The decision on whether to remove your ovaries or leave them in is one that can only be made by you, but in my case, even though I was beginning to go through menopause, my doctor left them in.

Most doctors will recommend trying to save the ovaries if they are healthy, because even if they are beginning to shut down, they still produce some hormones and can keep you from going into surgical menopause. Is there a history of ovarian cancer in your family that is causing your surgeon to be concerned?

In your situation, I think I would talk to my doctor again and even ask for a second opinion since you are not comfortable with his recommendation.

Please let us know what you decide, and be sure to add your surgery date in your profile so you'll be on the calendar.

's

Karen

Hi, sorry that you are faced with this dilemma! I can say that for me surgical menopause was rough! I experienced and sweats while I was still in the hospital. Once home I had really bad migraines for a month until my Climara patch kicked in. If I would have been given the option and they hadn't been so messed up by the endometriosis, I would have kept my ovaries. Ask your for pros and cons of removal vs. leaving them alone. You might even want to get another doctor's opinion. I'm sure that the other ladies will be able to give you even more info. I'm glad you found this great site! Sending a and to you!

Hi Sue, I had an LAVH/BSO on 7/08. My doctor left it up to me whether or not to keep my ovaries. I am 43, but have been perimenopausal for some time now. Menopause in my family tends to start late 30's-early 40's. I opted to have my ovaries removed because frankly, I was just tired of dealing with the whole situation. I didn't want to worry about ovarian cancer later on. And my doctor told me that a lot of the time the ovaries will shut down within five years after a hysterectomy, anyway. I am happy with my decision. I had terrible mood swings and hot flashes before my hyst. My dr. started me on Estrace 2mg. about six weeks before surgery and that's what I'm still taking. It has worked very well for me--no mood swings, hot flashes, or breast soreness. (I also had sore breasts with my periods). So the final decision is up to you. Get all the information you can. This site is great! Best of luck with your surgery. By the way, my dr. would have had to remove my ovaries anyway; after she got "in there" she found lots of adhesions on my tubes and ovaries. Hope this helps even a little. Hugs, Sally

Thank you so much for the helpful responses. You are a real giving group here. :-)
I have nothing wrong with my ovaries that I am aware of, at this point. I do not have any history of cancer either. The only thing the Dr. said was that if she saw the ovaries are diseased when she operates, she will remove them, then. (after I told her to leave the ovaries). I certainly can understand her removing them in that case. I am scared to death of HRT, if I have them removed. The abruptness of the menopause sounds horrible, as opposed to the natural way. I have heard that 50% of the time the ovaries will fail if you have a hysterectomy (within 3 years). What happens if the ovaries fail and you end up on HRT and are still stuck with your failed ovaries? Has anyone ever heard of having to take Testosterone after a hysterectomy where the ovaries are removed? My Dr. says that I would have to. I have heard of some people who do not take HRT and are fine. I have never heard of anyone who had a surgical menopause who didn't take them. I was also wondering exactly what Clima is. Is Estrace an Estrogen hormone? As you can see I am clueless right now. Thanks so much for your help and empathy. Oh yea, does anyone know of any way I can get any help with the breast tenderness, if I decide to keep my ovaries? Thanks!

I am 48 and facing my surgery on Monday. I still haven't made a decision about the ovaries. One ovary has a cyst and the other one we cannot see. It is hidden behind the fibroids in my uterus.
My doctor want s to take them out, because he said I will probably be facing another surgery down the road. This surgery will be my 5th and I had plenty of laps. He told me he would try to save them if I wanted him to. It is up to me. He said that Monday's surgery will be hard. I not sure about what to do either. I know this is a hard decision. I just hope that God gives me some sign so that I can make the right choice. I do have endo, if fact I had my bowel ressectioned a year and half ago because of it. At that time the endo was under control. I think that I may just tell the surgeon that if they look okay to try to keep them.

Sue,
The only in-put I can give you is my experience with breast tenderness. I always had 2 weeks worth of tenderness before my period. After my surgery, I kept my ovaries, my breast immediatly got sore. My dr recommended using progesterone cream. I have no tenderness at all now. In the Hormone Jungle pull down menus on the home page there is some information about progesterone cream that will answer a lot of your questions. Read and educate yourself and then talk to your dr. before you use anything. I hope this helped some. Take care. Karlene

When I found out that I would need a hyster, I originally thought that I wanted the ovaries removed along with everything else. I don't have a family history of ovarian cancer, but figured it would be one less thing to worry about if they were gone! The closer I got to my surgery date, the more I started reading about surgical menopause and HRT. When I had my pre op appointment, I told my Dr. I wanted to keep my ovaries unless she found something wrong with them during the surgery. My Dr. was thrilled with this decision, and told me she doesn't think they should be removed if all is well with them. My Dr. had a hyster two years ago at the age of 46. She left her ovaries in too! It made me feel better about my decision knowing my Dr. had gone through the same thing I was facing! Anyway, I still have my ovaries, and I am very glad I didn't have to deal with the hormonal issues. Good luck with your choice. I know you'll make the best decision for you! You might want to get a second opinion like some of the other ladies suggested. Hang in there!

I left my ovaries too as my surgery was scheduled the week that all the "news" broke over HRT, I was vascillating until that study came out. I hope that I made the right decision?! I probably should have re-scheduled the surgery and re-evaluated the pros and cons, but it is all over now. New woman!