Endo - Removal of ovaries or not???

I'm 37 and scheduled for a total hysterectomy on June 7, 2007. My uterus is very enlarged, I've been bleeding almost non-stop since Jan., have tons of back and kidney pain and full of endemitriosis inside and out. My ovaries are "ok for now" per doctor, but I can't decide whether or not to take them out at same time since I NEVER want to do this again. I've had 2 c-sections in past 6 years and my mom and her 2 sisters had same problem and did not take ovaries, and the endo. came back and attacked ovaries with in 1-2 years on all 3 of them and they had to go back in for another surgery. I'm having trouble with the surgical menopause deal and the HRt options and problems. Any one been through similar situation on either side of the fence? Would love advice, outcome stories, info, etc? I am also freaked about the recovery as my boys are 2 and 6 and I'm home alone with them. How bad is the recovery? This will be an abdominal surgery. Also any bladder issues afterwards? I'm obviously totally overwhelmed and need big time advice. Thanks, Wendi

Hi Wendy
If you have really bad endo I would have the ovaries out. I was told I could keep mine as I had fibroids, but when they opened me up they found some endo which they thought had burnt out ( it hadn't) so they left the ovaries and now I may need further surgery as I am still having cramps every month and pain just like before (but no blood!!) So to save yourself the hassle of further surgery I would say get rid of them. Regarding the recovery, it wasn't as bad as I thought, but you can't do housework or lift for about 6 weeks and not anything heavy further on than that. However I was walking fine (40 minute walks) within 3 weeks and could dust and cook at about that time too, but no lifting heavy pans. I was able to get my own lunch straight after coming home from hospital then we lived on ready meals for a couple of weeks so I didn't have to cook a family meal. Try not to worry you'll be fine, but try to get some help with the children for the first 2 or 3 weeks if possible. (My kids are older youngest now 17)
Herne x

I had a hysterectomy five years ago at age 33. I have one ovary left and now have a cyst on that one. Gyne says if they remove the cyst may have to take ovary too. I am afraid of menopause and possible HRT. Anyone have advice, or some experience that may be helpful?

This is actually a tough decision to make! If you have your ovaries removed, you are looking at surgical menopause. And depending on you and your doctors, you may or may not be given any ERT to help deal with the menopause symptoms which for some women can be horrible. If ladies with endo are given ERT they are also often give progesterone to help allow the endo to provide you with the hormones you need, but to also try to hold the endo in check so that it does not feed your endo.

Unfortunately, when it comes to endo, there are no easy answers. I have stage IV endo and chose to keep both of my ovaries as they were pretty healthy and the endo around them was cleaned up. I was only 25 and was looking at many years of HRT or surgical menopuase in my 20's. My doctor and I felt that for me, taking into consideration my family history, keeping my ovaries was best. I was aware that there would be a possibility that they would need to be removed in the future. So far I am over six years post op and still have them.

I do also have endo and adhesion pain. Sometimes it is worse than others. And at some point I may need surgery. But I did what was best for me.

There is no cure for endo no matter what decision we make. Thankfully, many women have a hyst with or without a BSO and do well. Then there are others who continue to have endo problems even with a hyst and BSO.

We each have to do our research, discuss our options with our medical team, and do what is best for us, knowing we may have to deal with future issues.

We have many Endometriosis Resources you may want to read through to learn as much as possible about endo before making your decision. And if at all possible, try to visit with an endometriosis specialist.

You may also find this helpful: http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/S...s#tv7242-Intro This should take you to a screen with the question "Should I have a hysterectomy and oophorectomy to treat endometriosis?" If you click the arrow on the first bar, it will walk you through some decision making steps!

I wish you the best as you decide what the right choice is for you! There are pros and cons to having a hyst so the options need to be weighed carefully. I had the LAVH but ended up with complications that gave me a very long, drawn out recovery that was hard on my whole family, including my two little ones.

If you do choose a hyst, be sure to have a support group around you to help out with your little ones and your home.

Take care! s

Thanks for all the info and advice. I really appreciate it. I'm now all concerned with the hormone issues if I have the ovaries out so I'm just starting to research that whole deal. Any advice or sites to check out on HRT or anything else available would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Wendi

You might want to click on the "Hormone Jungle" tab at the top center of the screen. We have several articles and a lot of information regarding hormones right here on the site!