45 year olds, Keep your ovaries or not?

I am needing a hysterectomy and I am not sure to keep the ovaries or not. My Mom died of breast cancer at 69 and the tumor was estrogen fed. Not sure what all that means. My Mom did not have a hysterectomy and did not use HRT. She did try HRT but did not stay on it long. My main concern is cancer, bone loss and heart disease... Would love to hear your thoughts...thanks

This would definately need to be something to discuss with your doctor. I had my ovaries removed due to the history of ovarian cancer in my family (mother, both grandmothers, aunt, 2 cousins) one of my grandmother's also had breast cancer. My dr. advised me that it would be to my advantage to have them removed due to the family history. He said chances were in 5 years I'd be having them removed anyway.

Please consult with your dr.

Best wishes

Wendy

We have a couple articles which might be helpful!
Keep Ovaries?
Keep Ovaries? Keep one or both?

I would highly recommend talking to your GYN and your GP, as well as your second opinion, about what might be best for you.

I retained mine as it was the best decision for me.

Best wishes to you as you decide what is right for you!

ask your dr. about your moms type of cancer (sorry for your loss) and then give it lots of thought. i kept mine and am very happy i did.

Hi Rcam101,

I was 46 at the time of my hyst and I kept my ovaries. My mom had a breast lumpectomy a few years ago and she just turned 79. My Dr. was aware of my mom's breast cancer and that was in my pre-op medical file.

I did my research and I found an article that outlined some of the characteristics that predispose a woman to breast cancer. My mom had several and I did not so that helped with my decision also.

I felt keeping my ovaries and having the added beneifts from the hormones *outweighed* me having my ovaries removed and then waiting for breast cancer, when it might never happen to me. The ovaries secrete important hormones that help with the bones, skin and hair, to name a few. And newer studies are showing that the ovaries secrete hormones well into menopause.

That all being said... I agree with the other ladies about having a consultation with your Dr. and deciding then. Your medical history and his opinion need to be looked at.

In the end...most importantly, do what is best for you.

Mary

I was 46 when I had my hyst and decided that I wanted to keep my ovaries as there was no history of cancer in my family. I'm glad that I did but I would urge you to speak to your doctor to weigh up the pros and cons of your particular situation. I felt vindicated afterwards when my doctor told me that my ovaries looked very healthy and so he wouldn't have removed them anyway unless there was a medical reason for doing so.

I am 49 and I told my surgeon I want to keep my ovaries. He told me that up to the age of 50 they normally recommend leaving the ovaries alone so as not to bring on early menopause. However, he also explained the risks of ovarian cancer and that those risks go up if you have family history of ovarian cancer, which I do not, he explained what an aggressive cancer it is and how difficult to detect which is why so many die from it, I lost a friend to ovarian cancer.

I talked it over with my family and we decided that in my case there was no reason to have them removed. However, my surgeon says that if he sees anything wrong with them or they are 'spent' he will remove them and that is the agreement we have.

It seems to me it is a very individual decision and needs good medical advice to choose the right option for you.

I am 48, kept ovaries. From my layman's research I gathered taht 45 or so is a "watershed age" for this decision. My GYN had told me that her bias was to remove ovaries after 45 yrs - to be safe. I chose to keep mine (and my GYB agreed to do it my way) since I have not family history of cancer, but a bad family history of heart and cardiovascular disease. There seems to be a bit of evidence that ovaries are slightly protective in cardiovascualr areas even post-menopause. Evidence is very soft, not truly convincing. I still feel that cancer, even risk of it, is more scary than hypertension, so in your case I would have have them removed. I am still not sure if I did the right thing by keeping mine

Good luck whatever you decide!

I would talk to a gyn oncologist about your family history. Also please be aware of the BRCA gene. If you have quite a bit of breast cancer in your mom's family you could also be at risk for ovarian cancer. If you have any ovarian cancer in your mom's or your family, that may indicate a concern.

My mom had 2 sisters with breast cancer and she never thought of ovarian cancer. She died last April 15th of ovarian cancer.

I would take a full family history to a gyn oncologist or even a breast oncologist for an opinion.

I had mine out. With my family history it was a no brainer.

I am 45 and will be having my surgery soon. I have already decided to keep my ovaries so long as they appear normal,and the doctor has my permission to remove them if she/he sees anything abnormal about them. I don't really relish the idea of hormone therapy (which means taking pills or doing other things outside my usual daily routine) in order to keep my hormones balanced. I am for anything that keeps me from having to take a pill everyday. Good luck with your surgery.