surgery scheduled

My surgery has been scheduled for Jan. 10. My ultrasound shows a cyst on my left ovary and fibroids. My right ovary was not visible on the ultrasound. After discussing options with my Doctor it was decided that everything would go. He did not see any benefit to keeping my cervix and based on his experiences (he is also an oncologist) he felt that the benefits of it being gone outway the benefits of keeping it. Has anyone kept there cervix or a seemingly healthy ovary and later regretted it? Any input would be helpful.

Hi Doodie,

to Hyster Sisters!!

While I'm sorry that you are facing surgery, I am glad that you found HS. The decision to keep or not to keep your ovaries and/or your cervix can be a difficult one to make, and one that ultimately can only be made by you and your doctor. However, that being said, I will tell you that in my personal opinion, it doesn't make sense to remove your ovaries if they are healthy. Medical science is only now beginning to realize how much the ovaries contribute to our over-all sense of well-being, and even if you are going through menopause, they still continue to excrete some hormones - just not as many as when we were younger.

In my case, my cervix was removed (the supracervical hyst was a fairly new type of surgery when I had my hyst) and I haven't noticed any difference. I did keep my ovaries, even though I was already going through menopause. I do supplement with Estradiol, but probably need to take less than if they were totally gone. I also haven't regretted that decision. I'm sure you'll receive many different replies, all based upon each member's personal experiences and feelings.

Please be sure to read the Pre-Op Hints and the Post-Op Hints. They are full of great advice that will help you to prepare for your surgery and recovery.

Also, don’t forget to go back into your control panel and add your surgery date to your profile so you'll be on the calendar and will receive a special greeting from Hyster Sisters.

I hope you'll continue to read and to post any questions that you may have - we'll do our best to help.

S

Cancer of the cervix is a detectable and treatable disease, when women get their annual pap smears.

I had my cervix removed. Too bad I had to have mine removed to figure this whole thing out. I would not do it again unless it was diseased. I do not agree with the philopsophy of removing healthy organs.

I just went for my pre-op with my doctor and asked her whether my cervix would go or stay. I am keeping my ovaries, I'm 42 years old and the thought of going through surgical menopause scares me. We all have to keep in mind that even in the medical community there are differences of opinions on uterus, ovaries, cervix, keep them, remove them. I think as women we know our bodies pretty well. We should talk to our doctors and then make the decision that is right for us. Which might now be right for the women sitting next to us. My cervix will be removed with my uterus and I'm feeling fine with it. The concerns that I had read on this site about vaginal dryness, abdominal support etc, my doctor told me were unfounded. I think the lesson from this site is we can get information from other women who have been through what we're going through, but we're all different (that's what makes us all unique).

Hi! and to you!

Practices vary from hospital to hospital. Mine did not give me an option of having a SAH, I could only have a TAH or TVH, both of which would take the cervix. But I had great faith in my clinic and doctors, who told me there was no compelling reason for me to keep the cervix. They were right. The loss of my cervix has not been an issue for me.

It is also important to note that the cervix isn't actually a separate organ -- it is part of your uterus.

Certainly, all things being equal, it would be preferable to retain everything. And I understand that others have had negative consequences after surgery. These risks need to be carefully weighed with the benefits of surgery overall.

The decision to take or leave the cervix, as always, should be based on your own and your doctors' analysis.