Leaving Part of the Ovary?

Hi ladies......remember me? The delusional one who thought she could wait until July for her hyster.....for the sheer luxury of having the summer off and not interfering with the busy time at work? Well here I am. Just got home from the docs. The cyst that was incredibly large in my ovary last month is ever bigger now. I saw it on the monitor and thought hmmm. Anyway, I think I'm going to do it in mid April now. My wimpy days are over. He is taking the left ovary, uterus, cervis and he said if he can, if he thinks it looks partially ok when he's in there, he MAY leave a small part of the right ovary for hormone use. Anyone ever hear of this?

Don't know, but hear that ovaries typically fail within a relatively short time frame after other organs are removed. However, even in the best-case scenario, I'd wonder how part of one could produce enough to avoid HRT ... or worse, are you risking that remaining part-ovary's descent into the same land that caused you to require the oopharectomy and have to go through it again?

It's a tough decision ... just remember, it's your final call. If I were in your shoes, I personally would have him take them in their totality and have peace of mind.

Hi Lisa,
I'm sure I've read elsewhere in this site about a partial ovary being left in order to continue to provide hormones. You might try going to the purple "search" button upper right of your screen and making some queries.
Good luck in your research!

Lisa,
By the time I had my hyst I only had 1/2 of my right ovary left. I went for about 1-1/2 years with the 1/2 of an ovary and never experienced any hormonal symptoms. No hot flashes, etc. So it is possible.

Hi Lisa

My doc told me the same thing pre op. Turned out he was able to leave one whole ovary instead of half. He did tell me that most women only need half of an ovary and dont have to go on HRT. I hope he is able to leave it for you. Good Luck and let us know how you are doing.

Thanks for your posts, ladies.

I guess what I am worried about is if a partial ovary left behind is going to become problematic and then I'll have to have more surgery. On the other hand, if I could use my own hormones that is a bonus - my insurance is really not so great and saving $80 every 3 months for HRT is tempting..........