Post-Op members only: Did you keep your ovaries?

Here's another survey. Its not scientific but should be interesting!

No, I didn't keep my ovaries. Doctor told me years ago one ovary had 'died'; discovered during exploratory surgery. The remaining ovary has cysts. So when I decided to have the TAH, the doctor and I agreed to remove both of them. I desired to be put into menopause to see if my migraines would cease. Removing my ovaries is a hope to have a better quality of life.

My ovaries were what had to go - the left one had a cyst with a mass inside it. The question was would I need a hysterectomy? The mass was malignant, with mets to the right ovary, so the whole shebang went. Got lucky, so they say, stage 1C. I say take it all, less to worry about. The surgeon actually wouldn't do the hysterectomy if the mass was benign, only ovaries and tubes, saying I was better keeping what I could. Granted, the recovery time may have been shorter, but now I won't have to worry about endometrial or cervical cancer. Just my ovca. Had the situation been reversed, however, and the question was do they stay or go, I would have said take them! I've lost a good friend to ovca, and it is insidious and hard to diagnose. Better safe than sorry. Hot flashes never killed anyone (and being post menopausal before all this, I suffered greatly in that regard).
So my rant is done, good luck and good health to all.
Irene
TAHBSO 12/2/08
ovca stage 1C
6 rounds carbo/taxol - 1 down, 5 to go

I kept my ovaries. Here's why.

I am 52 and was not anywhere near menopause. My doctor was willing to take them or leave them in, depending on what I wanted. (I have no family history or other factors that made my risk for ovarian cancer higher than normal.) I gave him permission to take them if anything looked abnormal, but he said they were "beautiful".

I decided to keep them because my fear of a surgical menopause was a lot greater than my fear of ovarian cancer. I have a tendency toward anxiety and did not want to deal with the mood swings that surgical menopause can bring on, until the HRT gets adjusted. I was also concerned about the emerging evidence that even postmenopausal ovaries produce some hormones that can be helpful for heart and bone health.

Kathy
LAVH 12/10/08
Pelvic blood clot/infection 12/18
Failed HTA Ablation 6/08

I wanted to keep my ovaries and clearly made my wishes known, but my surgeon got distracted and removed them anyway. The pro is that I will never have to worry about ovarian cancer, the con is that three years later, I am still having trouble with my HRT.

I kept both of my ovaries- I am blessed in that I have no family history, nor any indication towards ovarian cancer. I am 35 yr old, and not ready to be dependent on HRT nor am I ready to go through menopause. Luckily I didn't have to choose.

i was lucky enough to keep 1 ovarie the dr & i talked if they were fine he would leave them but it ended up 1 was unhealthy & full of cysts so out it came with uterus & a large fibroid tumor. Beth

I did not keep my ovaries. I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Endo and Andeno. The Endo was so bad one ovary had attached itself to my uterus. :

i am a cervical cancer survivor. it was not an option to keep my ovaries.

I am 33 years old and was shocked when both of my doctors suggested I have a hysterectomy. You hear it from one, but after a second opinion, it really starts to sink in! When I spoke to my surgeon (after a 3 hour office visit - he was amazingly understanding and quite thorough!) we decided that he would probably have to remove one ovary, which contained a huge cyst and much "debris." However, he said that he would do his best to save it and the other one. Unfortunately, there were more complications than we both bargained for. Because intestines are not seen in ultrasounds (they contain fluid and the sound bounces off it), the extent of my disease was not able to be seen until surgery. He, being the amazing surgeon that he is, knew I had advanced endometriosis and andomyosis, along with many bleeding fibroids. However, after years and years of suffering, why was no one else ever able to tell me this? Anyway, the surgery revealed my left ovary entangled in my lower intestine and not recoverable. My uterus was, also, as he suspected, diseased beyond my years. This accounted for not only my horrible 2.5 week long periods and hemorrhaging, but also my digestive / nausea problems that I swore were somehow related but could not figure out! So, long story, but I somehow have one ovary in tact thanks to the skillful hand of a wonderful surgeon. Being 33, that is a Godsent to me! I am still adjusting after 5.5 months and have pulls of pain here and there, but all in all it was the best decision for me. I really did not have a choice! Because he did it laproscopically, (this is the most amazing part) I only have 3 VERY small incisions and one through my belly button. At this point, you can barely see any of them. This was life changing for me, but with the right surgeon, a supportive family and tons of information, YOU CAN GET THROUGH IT!!!