keep or remove ovaries?

I had a pre-op appointment with my doctor this week. TAH due to large fibroids, heavy bleeding and anemia (this has been going on for a few years and I've tried every other option). The doctor said she will take the uterus and cervix but leave the ovaries. I heard that 1 out of every 80 women end up with ovarian cancer. My Mother recently died of cancer (not gyn) and know how terrible it is. I've been up all night wondering if I should ask the doctor to take the ovaries.
Any suggestions?

I didn't get to keep my ovaries because of precancerous tumors. But, even at 54 and well into menopause, I would hav chosen to save them if possible. Even though I was already menopausal, I went into a very unpleasant "surgical" menopause. My dr explained that the ovaries continue to produce after menopause, but at a reduced level. I'm still on hrt now, at 3 years post op. My thinking is , why remove healthy organs? Please discuss it with your dr & together make the decision that is best for you.

S

I am 42 and had my ovaries removed. I had cysts on them so I really didn't have a choice. I am so glad I made this decision. I was so worried I would wake up and be in instant menapause and have all kinds of horrible things happening to me. But that wasn't the case at all for me. I had some night sweats for about 2 weeks and that was it. But not everyone is as lucky as I have been. Read the posts in the Hormonal Jungle. Some women really have a hard time and others breeze thru it. As for the ovarian cancer, I was also scared about that and was relieved they were taking them out. I have read alot of the posts about women who had problems with their ovaries after surgery and had to have another surgery down the road to have them taken out. But again, thats not the case for everyone. I guess you need to discuss all this with the doctor and make the decision that is best for you.

I agree, I would talk to your doctor and do what is best for you. It is a decision that only you can make.

I had a TVH, TVT and they took my ovaries and tubes. I struggled with whether or not to keep my ovaries, I am 49 and read most of the ones who kept them had to go back and have them removed later OR they shut down on their own. I have not regrets! I started on estrace in the hospital and have had no menopausal symptoms. Hope this helps!

If they are healthy you should keep them. I had mine for 15 yrs after my TAH. Had surgery 4 mos ago to remove them, No real menapause problems. That is just my opinion. But why bring on menapause if you don't have to. Talk to your dr and let him or her dicide when they see them if they should stay or not. If you have faith in your dr this would probably be the best decision for you. God Bless

Here is my I kept my ovaries in because my Dr told me it was my choice. The way she put it to me was : I will not remove them unless they appear to look bad or any problems. I had not had any problems with the ovaries so she made it an option. The reason I chose them to stay is that I am 49 and still very regular with periods, NOT menopausal at all yet. I did not want to go on HRT if I did not have to, and I did not want to go thru hormonal issues aka surgical menopause.
I think it is a personal choice and ladies do well both ways. Good luck with your decision! Stay with us and let us hear from ya!!

My mom had always told me that if I ever had to have a hysterectomy (she always knew it would come eventually as it runs in the family) to have my ovaries taken out. Her opinion, and I heard this from others, is that almost all women who have a hysterectomy and do not have their ovaries removed, end up having to have them removed at a later date.
When I told her I was finally going to get my Hysterectomy, she said I should have them removed. I don’t think she agreed or was happy with my decision to keep them. I talked with my Dr about the possibilities of having to have them removed later and she said yes, at some point I may end up with problems and I may not. I did some reading and decided at my age, (41) I would keep them as long as they were healthy. I based my decision on the fact that my body parts all have a function and why should I remove something that is not damaged or unhealthy and that can’t put it back once it is taken out. I also weighed the risk of HRT against my family’s health history. We have no family history of OC, but we do have history of heart attacks and high blood pressure. I also do not like the thought of having to take medication for years to come if I don’t need to.
This is your decision and yours alone. You will know with the help of your Dr what will be best for you.
The only thing I worry about if I ever do have to have them removed at a later date is to hear my mother say “I told you so”.
Good luck in your decision.

Hi Theresa57,

I was 46 at the time of my LSH and I kept my ovaries. I am almost 2 yrs. post-op and my ovaries are still working great.

My Dr. left the decision on my ovaries up to me since my ovaries were healthy and ovarian cancer does not run in my family. Also, my Dr. said that 5% or less of women get ovarian cancer, so I thought that was good odds for me.

The ovaries secrete important hormones that help with the bones, skin and hair to name a few. There are new studies showing that the ovaries secrete hormones well into menopause.

As far as post-op ovary removal, I have read on Hyster Sisters that ladies with endo and/or cysts in pre-op have a higher chance of having post-op ovary removal. If you do not have either, maybe another reason to keep your ovaries.

in my opinion, it used to be that Drs said if you were ~over 45~ to have the ovaries removed. Now, Drs are beginning to rethink that policy...with benefits to us Hyster Sisters. Why remove healthy organs to possibly prevent something that might never happen?? If it is not broken, why remove it??

Best wishes.. you can get 2 schools of thinking on keeping or not keeping the ovaries. And, the final decision is yours. Do not worry. You will make the right choice.

Mary