keep my ovaries or not?

The doc is recommending that I remove my ovaries and I don't know what to do.... the Doctor says it is up to me.

What would make me decide one way or the other

hi...what is the reason your dr recommends that they be removed? are they healthy? the biggest thing you'd want to think about is are you ready for surgical menopause? does he have an hrt plan for you? can you take hrt?
another thing to consider is..does ovarian cancer run in your family? some women choose to have them if close relatives have had ovarian cancer.
one thing to remember is your ovaries continue to provide you with small amounts of hormones even after menopause. if yours are healthy..why remove something healthy?
good luck with your decision?

Thank you. She said that she recommends if for woman over 50. I have no cancer in the family. We have dicussed the HRT and she feels that it is a wait and see what happens. Some people don't need it.

I am confused : - (

My Dr said a TAH---I was disappointed thought he'd do a TLH? The nurse said that I may have too much scar tissue from my c-section. It was a vertical cut. 10 days to go! I have my pre-op on Friday.

http://www.obgyn.net/hysterectomy-re...n_conservation

I am a big advocate of keeping your ovaries for their hormonal effects. This was an opinion my Dr, a professor at a medical school, strongly advised because of their continued hormone production. Please see this article.

Best of luck to you - Joanne

I kept one of my ovaries b/c the other one was pretty beat up...Good luck with your decision....

My doctor wanted me to keep mine due to my age. He didn't want to put me into surgical menopause unless it was absolutely necessary. Once in there he thought he was going to have to remove one ovary but just removed the unexpected cyst instead.

I'll be watched closely for ovarian cancer.

My Gyn recommended removal of both ovaries because I have a history of cysts on both of them and she didn't want me to have to face another major surgery in the future. She also took in to account my age (48) at the time of surgery.

But if they hadn't been causing problems and I had been younger I would have got to keep them.

I am now dealing with the hot flashes and mood swings of surgical menopause and wish I could have kept them! Hoping to start HRT shortly which should resolve these issues...... I really didn't want to go down this route either but she is concerned about osteoporosis and so feels it is the safest route for me long term.

I hope that you make the right choice for you!

Katy

Thank you Katy. It really is a tough decision......... Does anyone know why they have 45 - 50 yeasrs old as the cut off?

: - )
donna

I kept my ovaries, I am 45. Dr. felt I had possibly another 10 yrs of hormone production left from my ovaries. Her goal was for me to keep everything I needed for as long as possible. I do have some PMS monthly now, (fatigue, irritability, swelling) but no gushers and cramps like before.