Ovaries. Stay or go?

I am scheduled for a TAH in late July for large fibroids. I am 54 years old, had a myomectomy sixteen years ago and a uterine ablation three years ago. My doctor is leaving it up to me to decide whether to keep my ovaries or remove them at the time of surgery. Have not had a period for three years due to the ablation but still have migraines every 28 days or so as I had for many years prior to the ablation so still have what I consider a "cycle". I have had no hot flashes, sleeplessness or night sweats. I take no hormones. Forgetfullness is probably my only problem except for the fibroids which are pressing into my bladder and back and make me look about three months pregnant. Dr. stated the ovaries, if left in, will continue to produce estrogen for six months or six years, no way to tell. I am at a loss here to decide what to do. Because of my age I am leaning toward having the ovaries removed and going on the Climara patch and be done with it. Would appreciate any input from others.

hey,

everyone is different, but i chose to have everything taken for several reasons:
surgeon said if i developed cancer of the ovaries, by the time they detected it it would be too late
did not want to go back for more surgery...ever
I'm 46, and was told by four different doctors that hrt would be safe for me (you may be different)
It was the right choice for me, i feel great now i am on the lowest dose patch; I sleep through the night (shortly after I started the patch), my skin looks great, no hot or cold flashes, no mood swings, crying jags or murderous thoughts...well maybe a few...but all in all hrt, no ovaries and best of all no worries.

Ask your doctors about your case until you fill good about your decision.

I'm three months and a couple of weeks out, and I feel 20 again! I've lost 35 pounds, no pain and energy again!

Good luck on finding what's right for you!

Peace

I am 45 Dr insisted that they stay in..I trust him,he was right I have healthy ovaries. I could have still had children,except for that I had my tubes tied when I had my ablation... So my dear check out the hormone jungle...hope you are at peace with your choice.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by 106autumn I am scheduled for a TAH in late July for large fibroids. I am 54 years old, had a myomectomy sixteen years ago and a uterine ablation three years ago. My doctor is leaving it up to me to decide whether to keep my ovaries or remove them at the time of surgery. Have not had a period for three years due to the ablation but still have migraines every 28 days or so as I had for many years prior to the ablation so still have what I consider a "cycle". I have had no hot flashes, sleeplessness or night sweats. I take no hormones. Forgetfullness is probably my only problem except for the fibroids which are pressing into my bladder and back and make me look about three months pregnant. Dr. stated the ovaries, if left in, will continue to produce estrogen for six months or six years, no way to tell. I am at a loss here to decide what to do. Because of my age I am leaning toward having the ovaries removed and going on the Climara patch and be done with it. Would appreciate any input from others.

I had my hyster at age 39 and my ovaries were left in because they were healthy. It has been 9 years and I think they are still working, albeit not as good as before hyster, but I believe they have made the difference for me. When they ovaries are left in, there is always a chance that they will work for the rest of your life. You never know, I think it is a chance worth taking instead of abruptly throwing you into surgical menopause if they were taken out.

I had my TAH about 4 years ago. (I'm 50) I agonized over whether to have the ovaries removed or not. Finally took my surgeon's advice and went ahead with it.

I haven't regretted it. I took hormones for about 6 months and gave it up when the reports came out. Truthfully, I had virtually no problems with menopause after I quit taking hormones - I think maybe the majority of people don't have problems. A few hot flashes per day - maybe six during the worst of it.

Dryer skin is the remaining difficulty. More moisturizers!

Hi 106Autumn,

I was 46 at the time of my hyst and I also kept my ovaries. I am 2 yrs. post op now and my ovaries are still working great. I have never regretted my decision. I think it is one of the best decisions I ever made for my long term health.

I agree with what your Dr. said. In my opinion, he sounds very pro-active and up on his medical education. I have read on Hyster Sisters that recent studies are showing that the ovaries secrete important hormones well into menopause. If your ovaries aren't causing any problems....as the old Hyster Sisters saying goes..why fix something that isn't broken?? Just my thoughts.

Best wishes,

Mary

I agree, why take something out that is still working for you. I have read that too - that after menopause, your ovaries still produce hormones. Your hair won't thin as much, your skin etc. I was very angry at my doctor for taking out one of mine after I had a long discussion about not touching them. Thankfully the one left seems to be working. Good Luck with your decision.

Hi

My doctor also suggested I keep mine. She said there was no reason to remove them if they were healthy, and I wanted the least invasive surgery possible.

Good luck...I know how hard it is to make all the necessary decisions. Maybe the cyclical migraines could be addressed in another way, perhaps with herbs or supplements.

Sending best wishes!

Recent research shows that no matter how old you are, longevity increases if your ovaries are retained. Doctors used to think that after ovarian production of estrogen declined, your ovaries didn't do much besides add a slight risk of ovarian cancer, so why not take them. But it turns out they continue to produce testosterone well into your 70s (and a little estrogen) and the testosterone plays critical functions in your health (some converts to estrogen, which helps reduce the risk of heart disease and bone disease). So the advice is now switching to: keep them if they're healthy. Even if you do retain a risk of ovarian cancer, that's balanced (on average) by a decreased risk of osteoporosis and heart disease. Unless you have a strong family history of ovarian cancer, of course.

Here's an abstract of the recent research:

http://www.obgyn.net/hysterectomy-al...n_conservation

I have to agree with the others that say if they're healthy keep them. In my case I had no choice but to have mine removed. They were diseased and in my gyn's words,"pretty much shot and if we leave them in,with your history,we'd most likely have to remove them within a year." I don't regret having them out(the little troublemakers! lol) We have found a pretty effective HRT regimen and I'm doing well with it. A few little adjustments to be made yet I think,but all in all being rid of my gynecological problems has been great.