To Keep or not to keep

I am scheduled for my surgery on Jan. 22.

I have to have the right ovary removed. My doctor wants me to keep the left ovary to avoid HTR along with other advantages. As other have said they are the professionals. My doctor is willing to do what I'm asking of him.

I've spoken with several people that have had one ovary -then had to go back several years later to have the other removed.

I want to avoid having to go back and redo something that can be avoided.

Can anyone assit me?

This will be your decision but I got to keep my left ovary. I am 11 weeks post op. I have not had the hot flashes or other problems associated with menopause. I have read nightmare problems from other hyster sisters that had both ovaries removed. I am feeling great now. I have been back to work over a month. I am almost back to my old routine. I do still get a little tired if I push myself a little too hard.

I had no choice about my ovaries. They had to be removed because of pre-cancers conditions. But I would have chose to keep at least one if it had been possible. I had some really bad menopausal symptoms even though I was started on hrt the day after surgery. It did eventually even out with tweaking of the dosage. I'm still taking it now at 6 years post-op, just a smaller amount.

I think that you should take your time, read, research, talk with your dr and then make the decision that is best for you. Best wishes, it's a tough decision.

I had my right ovary removed about a year before my hysto because of hemmorhagic cysts that ruptured, so i was very afraid that the problem would repeat itself. when i had the hysto, the doc said lets just take one step at a time, and she would examine the ovary fully while i was opened up, then she would discuss options with my mom and fiance. she said the left ovary was very healthy with NO cysts at all, and she left it in. that was 6 1/2 years ago, and I have not had one single cramp, cyst, twinge, or any other ill effect of my troublesome girl parts. even now, with my severe fibrocystic breasts, the doc said my hormone levels are excellent. I was so releived to have saved the ovary and the headache of HRT.

Best Wishes!!

i chose to keep both my ovaries (and cervix) because they were healthy and i didnt want anything healthy removed. your ovaries secrete hormones that your body runs on, and they continue to provide you with small amounts even after menopause. do lots of research on ovary removal, surgical menopause, etc. once you educate yourself on the pros and cons, you can make the best decision for yourself. just remember that you can always have an ovary removed but if you choose to have it removed during your hysterectomy, you can never put it back in if you dont feel well. i personally would never base removing a healthy organ on whether or not it might have to be removed in the future. good luck with your decision!

You didn't say how old you are, but I am assuming you are not near menopause.

I kept my left ovary. HRT is not an option for me due to a syndrome called "antiphospholipid antibody syndrome" which means I have more of a tendency to develop blood clots than the average population.

I don't know the stats on women who had only one ovary removed, then had to go back later and I have the other ovary removed. I think I would take my chances on keeping the ovary and avoiding being put in a surgical menopause. I hear that surgical menopause is not a pleasant experience.

You have to do what is best for you and your situation. Best of luck on whatever you decide to do.

Thank you for your help. I'm currently 45. But for the past several years I have been feeling like I'm premenopause.

It's just that the few women I have met that kept the one ovary - needed to go back in a few years and have the other removed.

Then there are those women in my age group that had a full hyster - and didn't have any trouble because of the HTR.

I'm also scared that after surgery the pain will not go away. Just last night I was in such bad pain I thought I was having labor contractions.

i was 24 when i had the surgery, i am 30 now. my doctor warned me that it could be as early as 5 years after the surgery, or as many as 30 before my ovary gives out. she said my hormone levels should be checked every few years or so, which i just had done for the first time last week. hormone levels are all normal, the doc said as normal as if i had 2 ovaries. . . its different for everyone, and there is no way to predict menopause until it happens. one thing you could consider is family trends. . . did your mother or grandmother hit menopause at 50? or like my grandmother, almost 70? there are many factors to consider, and like the other ladies on here have mentioned, your doc is the best to advise you.

i had severe cramping every day of the month, period or not. . . it was gone immediately, once i woke up from the surgery.

I was having the same dilemma. The originally Dr recommended that I keep my left ovary and I wanted it gone with everything else (my rt ovary is now a huge cyst and is the reason I'm having surgery, my uterus has fibroids-again-but my lt ovary seems normal on scans). To help my decision, my Dr ordered a hormone panel to see where my levels were and it turns out I'm not long away from menopause (I've been perimenopausal for about 5 yrs). She said it was all up to me whether I wanted to keep it or not. I think I'll do without it and hope for the best. I've already had fibroids removed and don't want to go through another laparotomy.

Maybe you could have your hormone levels checked and see where you stand. It could help your decision one way or another.

I was originally keeping my cervix & ovaries, & then during surgery the plan changed. When the dr took out my huge fibroid it looked suspicious & they were afraid it may be cancer, so they talked to my mom & dad & dh & decided to take it out. If the tumor turned out to be cancer they didn't want to have to open me up again. Well, that God it wasn't cancer, but now I am w/out my ovaries & cervix. I have not had any problems, Once in a while I get a little hot, but that is it. I am 5 weeks out. If this is all then it is not bad. I am not on any HRT so far.