Necessary ovary removal

I am scheduled in January for TAH, and my doctor's nurse told me that I would lose everything. However, I have had a cyst on one of my ovaries, and large fibroids. Is it REALLY necessary to have my ovaries removed? (I'm only 35)

Call your doctor to talk about your procedure if you have any questions at all!

Even if you have PCOS, removing ovaries at your age is a very serious proposition. Often if you have a cyst, a doctor will remove only the cyst and if he can't save the ovary, they leave at least one in place (you can still get along quite nicely with one ovary).

I'm sure you've been reading around on the site how important ovaries are to not only your sexual health at your age but also for your entire body (circulatory system, heart, bladder, bones and sense of self).

If you are at all uncomfortable with the response you get from your doctor about the removal of your ovaries, you owe it to yourself to seek a second or even third opinion until you are satisfied that you are making the right decision for you health.

Also, I hope your doctor talked about other options available to treat fibroids, which include surgical removal of only the fibroids, uterine fibroid embolization and there's even a very new treatment that uses ultrasound and is non-invasive.

Take care.

You certainly have the right (and the responsibility) to find out why they are planning to remove your ovaries.

You don't mention any other contributing factors -- are there some? Do you have a family history of ovarian cancer? Are your ovaries functioning abnormally? Sometimes these (and other factors) can lead to a recommendation for removal of ovaries.

Some women have ovaries removed because they don't want surgery again, but that logic doesn't sit well with me.

That having been said, however, if your ovaries are healthy and you have no increased risk for ovarian cancer, you should normally be a good candidate to retain one or both ovaries. This is just my opinion, but I were you, and it was possible to retain the ovaries and still be healthy, I would try to do it. There's always a chance they could get in there and discover they have to be removed, of course -- but at least they'd only be taken if they really couldn't stay.

Other sisters have posted that in their experience, surgical menopause can be a truly traumatic event, both physically and emotionally. While I don't have personal knowledge of that, I do know that menopause in general is a unique experience for everyone.

I don't post this to scare you, but you owe it to yourself and your future health to find out as much as you can about your situation. You're worth it!

We're here for you!

This is the 3rd doctor. First one was an idiot. He told me to go home and "have sex" and implied that it (the pain, bleeding etc) was in my head and I should be on medication. At this stage of your life this is "NORMAL". Needless to say, I saw another doctor, not much better. After telling him about 30 times I wanted a second opinion, he finally referred me the doctor I see now.

The lady doc has done more than either of the male doctors I saw. I will be getting a chance to talk to her early next week and believe me, I'm very well prepared to discuss this after surfing here for a few days.

	Quote:
Originally posted by keys1 I am scheduled in January for TAH, and my doctor's nurse told me that I would lose everything. However, I have had a cyst on one of my ovaries, and large fibroids. Is it REALLY necessary to have my ovaries removed? (I'm only 35)

Why didn't the doctor discuss this with you instead of the nurse. I would call back and ask to speak with the doctor to ask why everything has to be removed. If you would like to keep the remaining ovary if the other one with the cyst can't be saved, i would seek a second opinion too. You have that right and should utilize it. Like another poster said, have they discussed alternative procedures for your fibroids besides a hyst.
There are so many other options with technology the way it is, I would certainly seek a second opinion.

It's preferable you seek another opinion from a referral that is NOT from the current Gyno. They'll more then likely agree with the doctor who referred them.

I have had 3 diff Ob/Gyn recommend a hysterectomy in the past 2 yrs. I still won't have one unless I had something life threatening.
Even though I'm 47 yrs old and not concerned about fertility.

I have mutiple large fibroids that have caused the usual symptoms for a number of yrs and am looking into other options such as UFE (Embolization) since the symptoms have become worse over time. Also have had cysts, polyps, etc

NOT one Gyno told me about UFE. I found about that on my own.

If I were you I would not have the ovaries removed unless absolutely necessary.
Also you should keep your cervix.

Good luck in your decisions