Ovaries Removed?

Hello,
My doctor has scheduled me for a tah/bso on Wed. I have endo and chronic uterus infections. I was wondering ...... should I ask him to leave my overies? I don't know why he is taking them out. I meet with him on Tuesday. How should I go about asking him? My mind is whiling and I am so nervous...I don't know how to word questions right now...lol. I am crazy feeling. I have 2 kids with the flu now and I am so worried about me getting it too. Any suggestions there? Thanks everyone!

Teresa

You should definately ask him WHY he wants to remove the ovaries. Removing the ovaries may be the right decision for you, but you can't make that decision until you know all the reasons he's concerned, and then you weigh them against your own concerns. To ask him, just say: "Please tell me why you feel it's a good idea to remove my ovaries." If he says it's because you're almost 45 and don't need them, that's not a good reason (recent studies have shown that women who retain their ovaries live longer, on average, because the ovaries continue to produce testosterone long after menopause, plus a little estrogen. Both help with osteoporosis and heart disease). It may be because he's concerned about endo and continued ovarian function, and it might help you to do some reason on that before you go see him. Good luck! Write down questions before you go to see him, since otherwise it's hard to keep track of things.

thanks for the reply. I am 28 years old and really want to keep my overies. He did my mom's hysterectomy when she was 40 and took hers cause "if he didn't... she would probably need them removed later"
I am thinking that he may just want to do it so he can prevent me coming back for another surgery later. I have had multiple cysts on my overies but I am concerned about having them removed cause of my age.

Please check with your dr, he/she can tell you more. With endo you normally do not want to keep the ovaries at all. You can see on this website all the posts from women who demanded to keep one or both ovaries, then a short time later had the endo return or developed cysts and had more surgery. I had a friend experience this problems, if you have already had cysts then you are prone to this problem. There is no need to keep them, and you can prevent further problems such as ovarian cancer, etc. You are young tho, does your dr recommend hormones? I too asked my dr about keeping one ovarian and he told me in his experience and with my problems he would have to remove it later and it would mean my endo would come back. I went on hormones immediately after surgery and I feel great. Everyone says I look wonderful too, I think its best to talk it over before you decide. If the dr does a good job removing all endo, and all organs you should be able to take hormones. With the ovaries gone any residual endo will die. Don't feel rushed, just talk w/your dr until you feel better.

Thanks auntdot, My doctor said that he wants to but me on HRT right away and he promised me that I would feel much better then I have in years. He should know best I guess. He has been my doctor for 12 years now. I will just have to trust him. I am worried cause I read a post on hysterectomies making you age faster. I am sooooooooo scared of this. Now it makes me not want to get this done. Maybe I should quit reading on this until after the hysterectomy...lol...but I can't. My nerves are shot. It does make me feel better being on this site. Thanks for the reply.

I am having my hyst due to endo and doc plans on leaving my ovaries if they are healthy...if not healthy then out they come! I am only 30 so we thought we would try to give my body more time without having to take HRT. I am nervous about the endo returning with a vengeance but.....it is only a day surgery to remove them later. I am sort of second-guessing the original decision to leave them but I plan to discuss it all over again with doc before surgery so I will feel at ease with whatever I decide. Good luck!

Hi Teresa - I'm having both my ovaries removed becuase I have reoccuring cysts on them despite medication to stop this. I also have fibroids so my op is a TAH/BSO. I have chosen to have my cervix removed too...you don't say what choice you have made with regard to yours.

I don't have endo or adenomyosis, to my knowledge, though I wouldn't be surprised to find after surgery they found some adeno as I have had surgery before and some symptoms correlate with adeno.

Keeping or removing your ovaries need to be based on the medical information to your case, or if they are causing you a lot of pain. If your doctor cannot give you a valid reason for their removal, seek a 2nd opinion. You are too young to remove them "just in case". Removal of the ovaries at a later date can be a much simpler procedure than a TAH is, with much quicker recovery times. Good luck.

I struggled with that question for months - to keep or not to keep.

I read lots of literature. The ovararies are not just egg producers. We need them for prevention of heart disease and ostepreosis. I think you you to look at your own history and your family history. There is lots to consider.

I told the doctor that if they were healthy she should keep them. If in her opionion they weren't she was the boss and would have to remove them. The day of surgery, she did find a cyst on my right ovary and removed it. She did feel that the ovaries were healthy and left both in.

You have received a lot of different responses from the other ladies. I am going to drop in with my experience and some links to some helpful information.

I had just turned 25 when I was diagnosed with stage IV endo. Thankfully, I had had very little pain with my endo--my problem was I had been bleeding for 2 yrs, even after being on and trying several types of b/c. Once my endo was discovered during a lap, my situation warranted a hyst. Due to my age and the health of my ovaries, my dr and I decided it would be best for me to keep my ovaries--we felt my own hormones would be better for me than HRT. HRT when one has endometriosis can be very limited. Any estrogen you take can feed any remaining endo. As endo can be microscopic initially, it can be missed during surgery and therefore not removed.

As I have endo on my bowel walls that was not removed due to the high risks involved, this endo, as well as any of the micro stuff, is being feed by the estrogen my ovaries are producing. And we know my ovaries are working as I have started having some issues with cysts lately.

However, for me, keeping my ovaries was the right choice, and I plan to keep them as long as possible. My GYN (who is also my surgeon) made it very clear that I more than likely will need a BSO in the future, but we are putting it off as long as possible. This is what is best for me, for my overall health, and my family dr also agrees.

On the other hand, some women feel that if they have their ovaries removed, they can control what hormones--if any--they take, and hopefully control the endo as well as the surgical menopause. This can be difficult balancing act.

What works for me, may or may not work for you. We are all unique individuals and we will all be different. Our endo will be different. At this point, I do not know how much endo I have, and so far, my health has not warranted a lap to investigate. I do have tenderness in my pelvic region--I just had a hemorragic cyst--and I deal with PMS. So far, I have only had pain that has been tolerable, so I am willing to deal with it.

Will I need surgery in the future? More than likely, at least a lap or two or three, and possibly a BSO. Would I make the same decision again--having a hyst at age 25 and keeping my ovaries. Yes, absolutely.

I highly recommend that you have at least a second opinion before having a hyst or the BSO. A reproductive endocrinologist often has additional training in the area of endo, or a gyn/oncologist may have special training for removing the endo during our surgery. I also recommend seeing a dr who is very knowledgeable about HRT when endo is involved. And please, ask your dr about the reasoning for removing your ovaires, and exactly what type of HRT he will be giving you if he does the BSO. How will he balance the estrogen he gives you? Will you be on bio-identicals, patches, creams, etc.?

Here are some links to some information that may be helpful to you:
Endo/Adneo Resources
Surgical Menopause Resources
Hormone Jungle--Hormone Resources
Article--Keep Ovaries?
Article--Keep Ovaries--keep one or both?

I know this is a lot of information. But you are facing a major irreversible surgery, a life changing surgery, at a very young age. There are risks and complications to having a hyst and a BSO so it is important that you be well informed and prepared for the possible outcomes.

Endo is not cured by a hyst and/or a BSO. For some, they do find greater and improved health. For others, the relief is only temporary. And for others, it is only the beginning of a long road of medical issues.

Best wishes to you for whatever your decision needs to be for you. We are here to support you whatever choice you make!