Can you tolerate one more ovary removal question?

I have read alot of posts here about keeping/taking ovaries, and I plan to revisit them now that I am for sure facing a TVH 12/26.

I am 40, which seems to put me at an "inbetween" age. Not so young that ovary removal is unheard of, and not old enough that the ovaries are all but useless. She said she's comfortable doing whatever my wishes are, but if they look o.k. she'd like to leave them for the 5 or so years she feels they will function for me.

This all seemed very reasonable when she said it, but becasue she said "it's up to me", I have doubts. (I don't want anything to be left up to me!!)

If I leave them and they shut down due to surgery or for whatever reason, is it then a matter of starting estrogen? How do I know they are shutting down? Is it because I'll start experiencing menopausal symptoms? Don't many women have those symptoms anyway, just because they ovaries are "in shock?" temporarily? She said if she stays away from the ovaries blood supply during surgery, my chances of them temporarily shutting down are slim.

Why do some women say the have to go back and have the ovaries removed later? Can't they stay anyways? Is it the ovarian cancer risk? How does the ovarian cancer risk compare to the estrogen breast cancer risk in a woman with no family history of ovarian or breast cancer?

She said even if she decides they need to go during surgery, she can remove them vaginally. Wow, I didn't know she could do that!

I will look again all over this site and read up on it, but what do you ladies who are "on the fence", around my age, do in this situation? Sorry I asked 10,000 questions. I know you veterans are sick of hearing about ovaries! Thanks!

hi donna,
I am 8 days post op.I had LAVH.I am 35 and was givin the same choice to make as you.i kept my right ovary,and had the doc take my left one as this side is where i had most of my pain.
I decided to keep one ovary to try and avoid hrt as long as possible.i have also researched the ovaries for there help in keeping skin healthy,intimate lubrication,etc..
I have not had any problems with my remaining ovary as of yet.My doc said it is always possible for the ovary to shut down ,but not likely.I have had a few moments of getting hot for a few minutes,but they have not been long or unbearable.I think it is just my body ajusting to all that has happened.i don't know if this info has helped,but i do know how hard it was for me to come to a decision.I know you will come to the decision that is best for you.
Best Wishes.

Dear Donna,

I'm a veteran who can't hear ENOUGH about ovaries!

I was 43 when I had my hyst last July. My Dr. said I could keep my ovaries if they were healthy...one was full of endo and had to go, so I kept my right one.

I did have hot flashes shortly after surgery from the shock to my system, I think, but then at about 3 or 4 weeks, I had a PMS episode which told me that my ovary had "kicked in". I've had PMS a couple of times since...it's not too bad, and my Dr. said this will lessen with time.

Even post-menopausal women's ovaries produce a little estrogen. One sister here said, "It's easier to supplement your hormones than to replace them entirely."

Another sister here regretted having hers removed because she later discovered she had a condition that wouldn't allow her to have HRT.

There are millions of women in the world walking around with ovaries that have ceased to function, and they aren't lining up to get them removed. I don't know why anyone would say, "You'll just have to get them removed later." ...unless your Dr. makes that judgement. Even if you do have to, it can be done laparoscopically.

I hope with the help of this site that you can come to the decision that is right for YOU!

My very best to you...

Linda

I am 35 and had LAVH with removal of the left ovary on Oct. 6th. I chose to keep the right one for the hormones. I asked my doctor before surgery if the right one might shut down from the shock of surgery, and he acted like that was very unusual. So far, mine is working just fine. I have also had people tell me that I might have to have it removed later, but I told them I'd rather take a chance on that than have to deal with hormone replacement if I don't have to. Like my husband said, "You can take it out later if you have to, but you can't put it back".

Thanks for the responses so far, I'm leaning toward keeping them if possible, mainly from the "if it aint broke, don't fix it". But once she said it was my decision, I started second-guessing myself.

Hey there Donna! Well, I am 12 weeks post-op and kept my right ovary. Mine has still never kicked back in completly. So I am doing the patch and I feel great. I am in ovarian failure( which is like being in mentalpause) My Dr. said that as long as I was not having any discomfort with the ovary that he left at this point he sees no need to take it out. Some women develop cysts and then if then have to have them removed, but there are a lot of women who live happily ever after with just their ovaries.
Your questions are great! You need to be as informed as possible and sometimes we don't always get everything we want from our doctors.
Later!
Hugs!
Gala

Hi Donna,
I would do what you think is right. When I spoke with my Dr he gave me the same choice, I opted for removal because my family history & my intuitive self told me it was the best decision, I also spoke with many family members...do you have anyone except your doctor that could help you talk about it?
I would also like to say that I have had zero problems with the removal of my ovaries thus far (knock on wood), and can proudly say they were able to remove the cancer..YEAH!!!

Good Luck & May you find lots of good info,

I'm 41 and when the decision to keep or dump the ovaries was put to me I immediately said take 'em. I'd been suffering through pretty severe mood swings hot flashes and night sweats for about 1 1/2 years and decided I was finished with the perimenopausal stuff once & for all. My understanding from friends and reading is it can be pretty tough to treat perimenopausal symptoms because of fluctuating hormones, up one month down the next... Starting from scratch sounded like a good idea to me.

Once my Doc got in there they couldn't keep my left ovary anyway. I'm almost 4 weeks pos-op and my HRT has been a breeze so far. I'm calm yucky night sweats and moodswings are gone. I feel great--knock on wood : )

It is a very personal decision, read, talk to friends, family, write down some questions for your doc.

Go for whatever gives you peace of mind!

Paige
SLH BSO
9/22/00

Is there some medical reason why all to above sisters lost their left ovary, but kept the right. I too am going to keep both, if healthy. However, I believe that if I lose one, it will also be my left. That is the one that causes me pain and has developed a few cysts. Wonder if this is a medical fact, or just coincidence.

Hi Bev,

Yes, we are the "Kept the Right Ovary" Club seriously though, I think it's a funny coincidence as I have seen others on this site that lost the right one and kept the left.

My very best to you...

Linda