Pre-op appt. this morning...need last minute advice!

Good morning ladies!
I leave in an hour for my pr-op appt. I have a huge ovarian cyst and multipal uturan fibroids. I can opt tokeep an ovary, but doc says she wishes I would take it out. I'm 46 and fairly close to menopause anyway. Doc says if I get it out I wont have to worry about future ovarian problems. I'll probably need HRT after surgery anyway...so do I keep the good ovary??? Also my last pap came back with questionable cells. Do I take it out or keep it to help the pelvic floor? I'm soooo confused! Big decisions.
I need your help!
Thanks,
Lillee

I'd have it out.

Of course, what do I know?

Maybe do the pros/cons thing with your doctor. You have to be on HRT anyway, it's risky to leave it...

What are the reasons for maybe keeping it?

Good luck!

The ovaries don't provide any pelvic support, you may be thinking about the cervix, the jury is out on that one. In fact my doctor will be "tying" my ovaries somewhere up high so that they don't float down and attach themselves to the vaginal vault, which he says they can do it not attended to during surgery (I'm having a TAH, keeping both ovaries). I'm only 41 so the decision to keep the ovaries would be completely different than it would be at 46. If I were five years closer to menopause, I would probably not keep them. I have read that women who have their uterus's removed will menopause, on average, five years sooner than a non-hysterisized woman. So the point of keeping them at 46 is not as clear as it could be. On the other hand, if women in your family menopause late, you could reap the benefit of the natural hormones for many years. I plan on having ultrasounds and other tests to confirm the on-going health of my ovaries; we can always take them out later if needed. A friend of mine had a hyst for prolapsed uterus then had to have the ovaries out five years later due to cyst problems. The surgery was laparoscopic and in her words, "no big deal". She was glad she had kept her ovaries another five years even though she had to face the risk of another surgery.

Good luck on your decision, it's not a clear-cut choice.

Hi Lillee. I know it's late and your appointment is probably over. In view of the cysts and questionable cells, IF IT WERE ME, I'd have them out. I'm 46, like you, and I'm having them out. I'm going to be on HRT anyway and the doc says at my age, they may as well go too.

This is an individual decision though and I want to stress that this is just what I'm doing.

Whatever you decided, it's not too late to change your mind.

By the time I have read this you most likely have already made your decision. I am 43 and having my ovaries taken out. My family has a hystery of cancer and I do not need that problem later on down the road ( not ovarian just every other kind). My dr. said if I was 45 he would not have given me the option but he left it totally up to me. He is going to start me on HRT patch before he even removes my ovaries. He said that way I will not be without hormones at all.
Good luck and what ever you decided will be right for you. It took me a long time to decide but you will know.