Keep cervix and ovaries or not??

I'm 47, have fairly large fibroids (2 are baseball-sized), and am scheduled for June 6. Both of my kids were born with vertical C-sections, but doc will do a bikini cut for me to ease recovery. I'm wrestling with whether to have him take my ovaries and cervix.
My doc said if we take out the ovaries, it will "throw me" into menopause, which will make recovery harder. I have a fairly small window for recovery, so that's a huge thing. But I have breast cancer in my family (mom and sis)...not much relationship between the two types (theirs or breast and ovarian cancers), but still a little bit of concern for me. Thoughts on keeping them?
As far as cervix goes...I'm not at risk for cervical cancer (no smoking, etc.) and from what I've read, the cervix helps keep the vaginal canal in place. I'm doing some reading here, but still a little concerned about sex afterward. Just the thought of all of this makes me nauseous..!!
I'd really love to hear what you all have been told about the pros and cons, and what you post-hyst ladies can share about recovery either way. Thank you!!

I am going in next Friday. I am keeping my ovaries and cervix both. Most women dont want the cervix because of "mini periods" My dr informed me less than 5% have "mini periods" and if I do it is so light it does not even require a panty liner, I will only notice when I wipe. ALso he said if I decide I dont want it later, It is a 10 min outpatient procedure to take it. I dont want the vaginal cuff, I have heard to much about infection, and pain with intercourse. Some women say they cant tell a difference, but I dont want to risk it.
As far as the ovaries....I would definielty keep them if you can. Your hormones are better than any bottled ones. My Dr has permission to take them if he gets in there and sees anythng that raises concern. But I do not want to be thrown into menopause and have to start hormone therapy...that messes with everything...including your sex life. But I am sure there are many happy women out there who got rid of both, it just isnt for me.
Plus recovery is a lot easier and faster if you keep your ovaries and cervix..so that help me make up my mind as well.
Good luck on your decision

I agree with Deb, for your overall health, hormonal balance etc. it's better to keep your ovaries and cervix if you can. I can understand that you'd be worried about the possibility of future surgery but hey, you can always cross that bridge if you come to it! Good luck!

Had everything out and on BHRT now. I had cancer that was contained to my uterus, but they took everything anyway. I am 48 and when the DR said I had cancer I was scared and could not get rid of it quick enough.
After surgery I did have to find another DR for BHRT, but it was worth it. I feel good and the sex is great. I beleive if I was on BHRT from the day after my surgury I would have had any easier time.
You will read here that women that kept the ovaries are in menopause anyway. You need to do what is right for you. Good luck.

Thank you all so much! It really helps to hear real experiences. That often means more than what a doctor says, especially when he's male!
Any more feedback?

I kept my ovaries but got rid of the cervix. Glad I did when I got my post op report my cervix also had little nodules on it. He said the ovaries looked good so he decided to remove it. Thats one thing they sometimes don't tell you is that you may go in with the intentions on keeping certain things but if they don't look good when they go in there, they'll remove them

Because the cervix is part of the uterus, sometimes what is affecting the upper part of the uterus can also be affecting the cervical portion as was my case. So my entire uterus was remove years ago and I haven't missed any part of it. Though it is not a huge risk, do remember that new fibroids could grow on your cervix.

Whether or not one should keep the cervix is a very controversial topic among women and medical professionals. You may want to get a second medical opinion to help determine what is best for you.

As far as the ovaries, more doctors agree that they should not be removed unless absolutely necessary. Yes, family history should be a consideration, but you need to know your actual risk to make the most informed decision.

There is some OvCa risk factors for me and I have an endometriosis diagnosis. But when weighing my pros and cons, keeping my ovaries was best for me and my overall health.

Finding the right HRT balance can be difficult and there are overall health risks that go along with an oophorectomy.

S

Fibroids was a concern for me, becasue that is why I amhaving surgery to begin with. So I Asked my Dr about the fibroids, would they grow on my cervix, he told me that less than 2% of women ever have trouble of them growing on their cervix, and if they do, they usually dont cause any problems. So I hope I am making the right decision in keeping it, but if I have to have it removed later, I guess its not a big deal. The lady I work with just had hers removed and she was back to work in 3 days. Good luck!

I am having both removed, however, it was not without many conversations with my medical provider and him asking every question on why he thought that was best. I would not give the ok until I understood and was comfortable that this is the best decision for me...he is a good doctor and gave me the time and space to choose and patiently answered all of my questions and explained his responses if I needed him to.

A friend who is an Ob/gyn gave her reccomendations after seeing a FB post I had put out about Menopause...we chatted privately and she told me - get a 2nd opinion, conserve organs if possible, know why what is being removed is being removed. When I explained all of my questions/answers and doctors approach, she agreed based on what I said that she would do the same and assured me I had a good doctor. It made me feel much better to have that perspective.

It is a very personal decision and as much as we can share our thoughts and opinions...the doctors are the experts!

I had my surgery, davinci, done on March 29th. Kept both ovaries and cervix, but the doctor did take the Fallopian tubes. He feels that by taking the tubes he will see a decrease in ovarian cancer years down the road. He said research is showing it starts in the tubes, I have no idea if this is true or not, but figured why not take them.

Since surgery I have had two mini-periods but they are so mini it was almost non existent. Just one pass with a clean wipe and I was done. At this time I do think my hormones are little out of whack, I feel I have a temper with PMS which I didn't have before but I'm hopeful after a few months have passed and I'm further from surgery that will get back to normal.