Am i rushing into this?

Im scheduled next week to have just my uterus removed. My only symtoms are abnormal bleeding between periods when I have sex. My periods have never been really bad, and I have had a cyst in my left ovary a few times but nothing extremely painful. Im 41 and completely done with having children so Im excited about the fact I won't have to deal with periods anymore. When I went in for my pre-op yesterday my gyn said that he wanted to take the left ovary as well just as a precaution to ovarian cancer. I have had severe dysplasia with my cervix but no other issues with cancer or any history of it in my family. I have also had a hormone related pulmonary embolism and I know I will never be able to take hormone replacement so this has me nervous. Has anyone ever heard of opting to take a healthy ovary as a precaution?

I haven't heard of removing a healthy ovary as a precaution. If you are uncomfortable with having it removed then you should tell your surgeon and advise him/her to leave your ovaries as long as there is nothing wrong with them. Or you can postpone your surgery and get a second opinion. It's very important to be comfortable with the decisions that you make regarding your surgery.

Good luck,
Tracy

I've heard of it, but only in women with a family history or other predisposition (e.g., BRCA1/2) to ovarian cancer or a personal history of other cancer(s).

If you know beforehand you cannot use HRTs, why would you want to elect to remove a healthy ovary? The lifetime risk of ovarian cancer in the general population is about 1/20 - that means 19/20 of women will never have ovarian cancer.

By the way, removing healthy ovaries reduces the lifetime risk of breast and ovarian cancers by 75%, not by 100%. In other words, there is no sure thing. For more information on risk factors, check out this link:

http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/13108.cfm

I have never understood the logic some DRs use when they take ONE ovary as a precaution against ovarian cancer. Do they know they are taking the one that would have gotten cancer?

Have you tried any other options to deal with the bleeding problem? My DR has had very good success with Novasure ablation in her patients with DUB (dysfunctional uterine bleeding).

As someone who has experienced long-term health consequences from a hyst/BSO, I can attest that while I had dealt with years of having 14-day periods that started every 20 days and were extremely painful, not having to deal with periods is not enough of a benefit to compensate for everything I've had to deal with since the surgery. I can use HRTs, and do, but they cost quite a lot when you also add in all the vitamins and supplements I have to take to feel normal.

I would get a second opinion about your options while you still can. It's easy to reschedule a surgery later on if you decide the options don't work for you, but it's impossible to put back healthy organs that have been removed.

s,
-Linda

I agree with Linda, if your ovaries are healthy and you have no history of cancer, then why have them removed??? I would also get another opinion regarding your options to control your abnormal bleeding. You may not have to go through with such an invasive procedure and long recovery time. There are other options out there.

You can always reschedule if you feel this is really the best option for you, but you can never go back once it is done. to you. I know this is a hard decision to make, but we are all here for you on this journey!

I am 51 and also have abnormal bleeding, but this has been going on for almost a yr and a half, and first I started with Lysteda, pills you take only when you have your period, they were huge and you had to take 12 a day, did that for 8 months, then we went with the ablation, that worked for a month or 2, then this past July, Aug, and half of sept, bled straight through so 10 weeks of bleeding, and then had a couple of days of severe clotting and cramping, in so much pain, had to take heavy duty pain meds, went to the dr and decided it was time
since then have had no problems, but who is to say it wont rear its ugly head again
Im ready to get this over and done with

One other quick note: if you do go through with surgery and your doc says the ovary w/cysts has to go: if you have just one ovary removed, I have heard that the other ovary will "take over" and do the work that both ovaries once did.

Hope that helps!

There is nothing wrong with getting 2nd opinions and I too agree if healthy why mess with it. I too suffered from abnormal bleeding (huge clots 2-3 week periods) I also suffered from HPV and a cervix that was not to be trusted!

I was offered an endometrial ablation and researched it and found that the success rate was TOO low for me to want to be bothered so I requested the hysterectomy (with my history my doctor agreed to the hysterectomy BUT still tried to talk me out of it) I had the surgery one week ago today. Once my doctor saw my uterus she said it appears that I had Adenomyosis (non-cancerous condition) and she agreed the surgery was the best thing for me.

My point is DO YOUR RESEARCH and do what you feel is best for YOU! Do not allow doctors to take over your body and make decisions for you. You are your biggest and bestest advocate!!

I'm 42 and having a davinchi hysterectomy with bso in 4 days. I am BRCA2 positive so I'm opting to remove both overies. I have a large cyst on my left overy right now that we are praying isn't cancer. I've heard alot of both sides. In my case I'm glad I'm removing EVERYTHING. That means no more surgery in the future! Get a second opinion. But many women remove healthy overies, and ovarian cancer is hard to detect early on and very deadly. Good luck! Hugs

I have heard of removing the ovaries even if they are healthy. Family history of any kind of cancer, especially breast cancer, is reason to remove them. I think age can be a factor as well, but I have known a few people who have had theirs removed for preventative reasons. I totally understand wanting to keep them, so maybe you should get a second opinion.

Good luck!

At the top of the board there is a pinned thread about a research project. I just did the interview and watched the video yesterday. It was very informative. It wouldn't hurt to participate in the study.

For me, it appears my ovaries are healthy. There are no plans to remove them unless something is wrong when they get in there. I feel like the risk of having them taken out (hormones really bother me so HRT may not work) is greater than the risk of leaving them in. But for some, the risk is high enough that it would be better to take them out.

If you are uncomfortable with what your Dr. wants to do then seek a second opinion. Another opinion might be able to suggest something less drastic to cure your bleeding.