Ovaries, That is the Question?

I am 44 yrs old and faced with the decision to keep or take out the ovaries. I am scheduled to have a TAH in December, so I have a little time to make up my mind. Doctor thinks I should keep them because of my age, and no family history of ovarian cancer. I recently heard a lecture, however, a well-known cancer doctor in my city, that said if faced with hyster decision, take out the ovaries. If I remove the ovaries, and take estrogen, I guess I have a slight increase of breast cancer, but if I keep the ovaries, I have a slight risk of ovarian cancer. What should I do? HELP? I guess I would like to keep them, but I hear many women say they wished they would have had them out when they had the chance...

I am 50 years of age and was faced with the same decision - albeit I am older than you. I have had so many problems though with my hormones and with endo. over the past five years that I almost wish I had made a decision about a hysterectomy earlier. I just had a TAV/BSO this year.
It takes a while to get your hormone levels sorted out -- but I am now on the Climara Patch, along with some progesterone cream and seem to be doing fine and am now feeling better than I have in a long time.
I know that this is a very hard decision though -- and not one that should be made without having weighed both pros and cons. If I had not had so much trouble with pain from endo. and with other hormonal problems, I probably would have opted to keep my ovaries. In my case, my gyn. said he was glad that I had given him permission to remove them.
If you make the decision to have them removed, you can't keep second guessing it after it is done either -- because there is not much you can do about it then! And, no matter what, there are always going to be people who have a different view from yours. In the end, you are the one who has to feel very comfortable about the decision.

Good luck.

Hi there and welcome. The Ovary question is a biggy eh, but you have to make the one that you are most comfortable with. I kept one ovary when I had my Hyst, I lost the right one due to severe endeo, but the surgeon told me that the left one was totally healthy. We had talked about the removal of the right one even before surgery as I had a lap last year and we knew that it was bad then. I decided to leave the left ovary as it was healthy and I am one of those people who do not like to take drugs and did not want to go on HRT. My surgeon agreed with ,my decision and said why take something that is healthy and seeing as there was no history of ovarian cancer in the family I felt comfortable with my decision.
It sometimes can happen that after surgery the ovaries can go to sleep for awhile, but I was lucky and that did not happen. My left ovary is working fine and I have had no trouble with it at all so am glad that I kept it. I would rather know that I am making my own hormones.
Good luck with your decision and your surgery. Get all the opinions and research that you can before making that decision, but make sure that it is one that you are happy with.
Love and Hugs Vicki

Hi, Anita! This is a hard decision to make, especially since you're at an in-between age and have a few years before menopause. I was 48 and thought I could get a couple more years out of my ovaries without taking HRT, but I decided to leave the decision to my dr. when he could visually check them during surgery. They were atrophic and probably barely functioning (would have gone through menopause soon), and they had cysts. So he removed them and afterwards I was really glad that I don't have to worry about them developing cancer or some other problem that would require surgery later. Then I figured out that I really was borderline for ovarian cancer risk, so I should have decided before surgery that they come out. 1-2 women out of 100 will have ovarian cancer, and it is one of the hardest to diagnose. There are no specific symptoms, and by the time it is found it may be very advanced. The risks for ovarian cancer are: family history of ovarian, breast, and possibly other cancers; beginning menstruation before age 12; having first baby after age 30; infertility; and fertility hormone treatment (especially more than 12 cycles). You'll have to weigh whether you have any risk factors against the time you will still have your ovaries functioning. Or you can have your dr. make the decision during surgery when he sees if they look healthy or not. As far as breast cancer, researchers think that estrogen (HRT) does not really cause breast cancer, but that it is from the woman's genetics. The dose of HRT is probably less than what your ovaries are producing, unless they're shutting down like mine! Your dr. would work with you to find a type and dosage of estrogen that makes you feel best--sort of trial and error. You can do a search of "estrogen" or "hormone replacement therapy" sites with your search engine. This is a personal and individual decision, different for each woman. Good luck in your making the right one for you, and best wishes.
Ruthie

Dear Anita:

I know exactly how you feel. I had to make the same decision. Up until about a week or so prior to my surgery I planned to keep them. It was a given for me. At my last pre-op my doctor asked me to consider having them removed. While there is no history of ovarian cancer in my family he said that ovarian cancer is so devastating and likely undetectable until it is too late. Because I am 45 he indicated that I would go into menopause sooner than later-boy I hated to hear that :eyes: and he did recommend removal. I read some things that talked about doctors normally using a rule of 45 and up for recommending removal and less than 45 for keeping the ovaries. However, this isn't true to every person of course. I also read some information that stated the ovaries MAY go into shock and they also MAY lose as much as 5 years of their "life". In the end I opted to have them out. I did have some initial problems with the first HRT I was on (Premarin which made me sick and emotional :cry: ) but now I'm on Vivelle patch and it works fine so far.

This is a very personal choice and you are doing the right thing by asking for testimonials. You will hear many good stories for both sides of the question and ultimately you will be more informed to make your own decision. Good luck and please let us know what you do decide because we care

Betty

I had just turned 40 when I learned I would need a TAH. My doctor told me from the beginning that the plan was to leave the ovaries if possible and to remove the uterus and cervix. That way I would not have to deal with HRT, etc. This was fine with me. I felt it was the best possible outcome if it worked out that way. After my surgery, many people commented that they hoped they left my ovaries LOL. Some of these women had had hysterectomies and said that it's best if you can keep your ovaries. But of course, every case is different. My ovaries were fine and healthy and so they remained. I feel great. They never went into any "shock" or anything like that. I even asked my doctor after the surgery if that was a possibility (since I had read it on here) - that the ovaries may shut down for a while. He does not believe that at all, and said the ovaries are controlled by the pituitary gland, not the uterus - so the removal of the uterus doesn't affect them at all. As I said, I have had no problems and feel fine. So I assume everything is working in there LOL! Hope this helps

I am 48 and peri-menopausal, and I wanted to keep anything that was healthy. There is evidence now that the ovaries do work even after menopause to a certain degree. As far as cancer concerns, I have decided to have mine checked each year with my physical for peace of mind, and if the insurance wont pay then I will. Yes, very personal decision. I had the scar tissue around them cleaned up ,and left them > My female doctor promotes womens health in our state and feels they have a usefulness even after menopause. Every woman is different,and each case history is. If I would have had any endo in the area, I would probably have had them removed.

Hi Anita,

I am new member also. I wish I had known about this site before I had my hysterectomy. I had tah-bso due to large fibroids in the uterus.

I think everyone else has pretty much said it all. In the end the final decision is up to you.

Perhaps it would help if you got a second opinion?

I did get a second opinion. Both doctors recommend that I get my ovaries out due to my age (48). 45 seems to be the age that they draw the line at. My second opinion doctor was board certified in Gynecology, and also Oncology. He did tell me he was prejudiced because of dealing with woman who had ovarian cancer. He said usually by the time you notice the symptoms of ovarian cancer it is usually in the advanced stages.

I decided to go with it because of their recommendations, and also because of my age (48), and I didn't want to have to go through another abdominal operation if something happened and they had to go back in for the ovaries in the future, and yes the thought of cancer did bother me. None in my immediate family, but then no one in the family has had to have a hysterectomy either.

Luckily I have not had any problems so far with HRT--Premarin 0.625.

You have to weight the pros and cons and decide what is best for you. Just try to gather as much information as possible.

Will say a prayer for you.

Grapefruit,
Please read the following post regarding your questions. It is a thoughtful and intelligent discussion about keeping ovaries or not....

https://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/sho...threadid=10987

In the end, as the ladies have said, there are many factors to consider while making this decision. Ultimately, the answer will be whatever makes the most sense for you. I hope you find this helpful and good luck in your searches!