Crazy worried about losing my ovaries

Today was my pre-op meeting after all my tests. I was crushed when my Dr. told me he would have to do a complete hysterectomy including my ovaries. I put this off 6 years ago with ablation which may have actually hurt me in the long run due to post ablation syndrome. I have been dealing with the surgery for a couple of weeks, but had convinced myself that my ovaries would be intact. My family history of breast cancer makes HRT a tough choice. My biggest fear is weight gain. Feeling pretty bummed right now.

I have a family history of breast cancer and I'm doing HRT. My doctors reasoning is that HRT will be delivering less estrogen then I am currently exposed to now.

Im brca 1 pos and ive been working with my gyn and breast surgeon. Research varies but so far with estrogen only hrt there's no increased bc risk. Thats what ill do when necessary. Im 1 week without ovaries and nothi g needed niw.

I had TAH/BSO, I am 5 1/2 weeks post op.
I decided against HRT because of the risk with Breast Cancer.
So far it is fine, just some hot flushes.

Did your Doctor tell you why he wants to remove the Ovaries?

This is interesting... family history and HRT are both independent, nonrelated variables for breast cancer accorriding to this research.


Epidemiology. 2009 Sep;20(5):752-6. doi: 10.1097/EDE.0b013e3181a71279.
Hormone replacement therapy, family history, and breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women.
Gramling R, Eaton CB, Rothman KJ, Cabral H, Silliman RA, Lash TL.
Source
Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA. Robert_Gramling@URMC.Rochester.edu
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Evidence is mixed regarding how familial predisposition to breast cancer affects the relation between hormone replacement therapy and risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. We investigated whether the risk difference for invasive breast cancer attributable to estrogen plus progesterone replacement therapy is greater among women with a first-degree family history of the disease.
METHODS:
This study is a longitudinal follow-up of 16,608 postmenopausal women aged 50-79 years who were enrolled between 1993 and 2002 in the Women's Health Initiative randomized trial of estrogen plus progesterone replacement therapy versus placebo.
RESULTS:
Three hundred forty-nine cases of invasive breast cancer occurred during a mean follow-up period of 5.6 years. The invasive breast cancer risk difference attributable to the hormone therapy was 0.007 among women with first-degree family history and 0.005 among the others, resulting in a negligible interaction contrast (IC = 0.002; 95% confidence interval = -0.014 to 0.018). The interaction contrast restricted to estrogen-receptor-positive invasive breast cancers was also negligible (IC = -0.006; 95% CI = -0.021 to 0.008).
CONCLUSION:
Family history and estrogen plus progesterone replacement therapy have independent and noninteracting effects on the risk of invasive breast cancer among participants in the Women's Health Initiative randomized trial.
PMID: 19451819 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] PMCID: PMC2903620 Free PMC Article
Publication Types, MeSH Terms, Substances, Grant Support

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Thanks ladies. This is reassuring.
PetraR, My fallopian tubes are dilated and full of blood. My Dr. expects the ovaries to be scarred. He says he'll try to save one or both but doesn't expect that he will be able to.

I am up in the air about the ovaries too! The surgery is scheduled as a complete but we still need to talk about it at the pre op visit. My ovaries have never been good at making progesterone and I have symptoms now consistent with extremely high estrogen. I don't want to take HRT but am afraid the high estrogen that has raised my bp will continue. What to do? I think I will leave it up to the Dr and what he finds on seeing the ovaries.