Cervical Cancer-keep Ovaries?

I was wondering about those of you with cervical cancer. I am 31 and have stage 1A cervical cancer.i am having my TAH on Monday and my dr. said there is no indication to take the ovaries, and i would prefer to keep them, but my mother and mil are both nurses and says they should take them "while they're in there". Am I more at risk to develop ovarian cancer? my dr. said no-but i just wondered what other's experiences were and what their dr's said. Of course with the date fast approaching I am a nervous wreck with about 100 things going through my mind.thanks for any advice.
Amy

's Amy! Welcome to Cancer Concerns!

I'm so sorry to hear that you have cancer, but how wonderful that it was caught so early!

I was 37 when I had my TAH 3 years ago. I kept my ovaries and don't regret it for a minute! Cervical cancer does not put you at any higher risk for ovarian cancer. Some people are in favor of removing the ovaries so that you don't have to worry about ovarian cancer in the future (however, it's still possible--just very rare--to get ovarian cancer even after your ovaries are removed). The good thing about keeping them is that you don't need any hormone replacement, and while some women quickly find the hormone replacement that works for them, others take months trying to find something that helps them. Plus, with all the varying reports on the effects of hormone replacement, well, it made me nervous. I figured I would just stick with what nature was giving me automatically.

Now, occasionally, some women's ovaries do not "wake up" from the surgery. Mine were a little groggy for a couple of days (I had hot flashes and such), but then they picked right back up where they left off, and I feel like I always did. Some women also seem to have problems with recurrent ovarian cysts after a hysterectomy. I did have one that lasted about 3 months, but all has been fine since then.

It's ultimately up to you and your doctor. Don't let anyone pressure you into doing something that you're not comfortable with. If you want to keep your ovaries and they are healthy, then keep them. If you want to get rid of them to give yourself a little extra insurance for the future, then by all means do so. Some women are thrilled that they have gotten rid of them. We have heard from some women who kept their ovaries from hysterectomies 15 years ago, and all is going well. It seems to be a matter of personal opinion and comfort level.

Good luck, Amy! I hope your surgery goes well. Please keep us posted!

Hi-

Everyone here is telling you what you need to hear! You are going to do fine and to me the recovery seems so much easier than the wait before the surgery!

My case was very similar to yours and my doc gave me a choice ovaries or not. I kept mine because I, as you mentioned, prefered to let nature carry on as planned and had no medical concerns with that choice. Listen to your own thoughts and trust your decision.

Let us hear from you! Today is my wk. 4 anniversary and I'm feeling better every day!

You are going to be able to look back on this part of your life soon!

Best of luck- only good thoughts for you.

Jane

I had a TVH on 12/23 due to 1A1 cervical cancer. I'm 35.

We have a stronger than normal risk of breast cancer in my family and they are proving that HRT raises that risk. My doc said that he figured i had 15+ years on my ovaries before menopause kicked in so he felt it was best to leave them, but he assured me that leaving them did not increase my chance of ovarian cancer.

I have no regrets about leaving the healthy stuff behind. You just have to weigh the alternatives, listen to YOUR heart.


Jen

Hi, Amy
Glad you found us before your surgery! You will be able to find so much information here. I had a radical hysterectomy, June 2002, for cervical cancer, stage 1b. I also was given the option of keeping my healthy ovaries or taking them with everything else. I chose to get them taken out. I take premarin .625 and have not experienced any side effects from that, I really do not feel any different. I consider that a blessing, as some people have a really hard time finding the right hormone replacement. I chose to take the ovaries, as I wanted to reduce the chance of anything else going wrong and having to have another surgery. Of course, that is still a possibility, and rarely, woman have been known to develope ovarian cancer, after removal of the ovaries. But, it is rare. I was so scared at the time, I probably would have let them take my arms and legs too, if I thought it would get the cancer OUT!! I am glad with the decision I made, but everyone is different. I did not feel pressure from anyone about my decision. I made it all on my own. Follow your heart on this one. Good luck with your surgery on Monday, and you will be in my prayers!! Rhonda

HI - I am 36 and I had my surgery last May (age 35).
I to was given the option. I choose to have them removed because I read something about 1/3 of the ovaries stop working in 5 years anyway. Also I did not want to worry about ovarian cysts or fibroids.

If they do the surgery and there is an idication that you need radiation the doctor can raise your ovaries. However most of the time radiaiton does kill the ovaries.

If you keep them you could also harvest your eggs possibly and hire a surogate to carry for you. My girlfriend offered to do that for me but I decided that I would be more comfortable having them out.

Many people keep their ovaries and they keep their natural hormones which is much easier on your system.

I hope this helps.