Left ovary 50% larger than right ovary

I just had an internal sonogram and scheduled my hysterectomy due to fibroids. He'll be attempting a TVH but gave it a 20% chance that he'd need to switch to TAH once he begins. My doctor has recommended that I keep both ovaries.

My left ovary is 50% larger than my right according to the sonogram. My doctor didn't feel it was large enough to worry about cancer.

While there is no history of ovarian cancer (that I know of) in my family, I'm a little bugged about the difference in size in my ovaries. I've tried a google search and the other reasons I can see for an enlarged ovary are cysts or ovarian cancer.

Questions:
Does anyone know if the size difference between my ovaries can be considered normal ?
What is the avg size of an ovary ?
Can an ovary be removed during a vaginal hysterectomy ?

Thanks !

Can I ask how old you are? Age may play a factor if your doctor says they can stay. I too would be concerned if one ovary is that much bigger than the other one. Good Luck!

i would ask dr to be safe !!I was just told last week during a ultrasound that is normal to have one ovary biger than the other. one of mine is a bit bigger and they said it is normal in most woman. good luck .

Hi cooper2.

I'm 45 years old. Before my appt today I was pretty decided on having my ovaries removed also, but theres a very strong family history of heart disease and stroke and no ovarian cancer (that I know of), so the doc felt that with that info I was better off keeping my ovaries since both menopause and HRT increase heart disease and stroke risks.

Oddly, its the right ovary that gets painful (its being "swished" by a fibroid) - the left (larger only) is painless. Right ovary is 2.6 x 2.1cm, left is 3.9 x 3.5cm. I've been doing some reading and both ovaries are within normal size ranges, but shouldn't they be equal size within a person ?

My feeling is I have two options right now (a) tell him to take the left ovary even tho he thinks I should keep it (but I'd like to know if that knocks out the chance of having a TVH) or (b) leave them both and have him do bi-annual sonograms to monitor the size of my ovaries (but I have to wonder if insurance would cover that).

Hi JoAnn,

If it were me I would get a second opinion. I am not a doctor so I don't know if these findings are normal or not but when you are talking major surgery (especially a hysterectomy) I think that it is always good to get a second opinion.

Blessings, Lisa

Lisa - I think you're right. The OB/GYN I saw was actually recommended to me by a friend who's a surgical nurse but I'm sort of freaked out about the unevenness of my ovaries. I do trust the doctor I saw, but feel I need a scientific explanation for the variance in the size to feel really comfortable. And another brain on the case can't hurt !

	Quote:
Originally Posted by JoAnnDe Hi cooper2. I'm 45 years old. Before my appt today I was pretty decided on having my ovaries removed also, but theres a very strong family history of heart disease and stroke and no ovarian cancer (that I know of), so the doc felt that with that info I was better off keeping my ovaries since both menopause and HRT increase heart disease and stroke risks. Oddly, its the right ovary that gets painful (its being "swished" by a fibroid) - the left (larger only) is painless. Right ovary is 2.6 x 2.1cm, left is 3.9 x 3.5cm. I've been doing some reading and both ovaries are within normal size ranges, but shouldn't they be equal size within a person ? My feeling is I have two options right now (a) tell him to take the left ovary even tho he thinks I should keep it (but I'd like to know if that knocks out the chance of having a TVH) or (b) leave them both and have him do bi-annual sonograms to monitor the size of my ovaries (but I have to wonder if insurance would cover that).

I was 43 when I had my surgery. My doctor & I talked about what I was going to have done with the final decison left to the doctor. I wanted to keep my ovaries and she told me that I may still have a few good years with them but if she got in there and found anything out of the ordinary she would take them. Well all was good and I still have them. Although they did shut down for a few weeks after my surgery. Everything is back to normal now. As for the kind of surgery you are having I can't say about the chances of not having a TVH I had a TAH. It wasn't nothing really, a little painful but it was all worth not having the constant pain I had before the TAH. Good Luck and let me know how things go.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by cooper2 .... but if she got in there and found anything out of the ordinary she would take them. Well all was good and I still have them.

thats exactly the thing .... I'm not sure if they can inspect the ovaries with a TVH (I'm hoping someone that knows the definitive answer to this question will reply). I'd certainly rather go through natural menopause, but that left ovary size is bugging me.

I had a post op appointment today with the NP for my endometriosis specialist. I asked her about the fact that my left ovary is about twice the size of my right one. She said that it is not a problem as one ovaries works each month and that alone can create the size difference. During my laparoscopy my surgeon did not note that there was a problem with my ovaries at all.

I don't have my surgical reports in front of me, nor my past CT scans. But on my last two CT scans my right ovary was larger than the left. During my surgery this month, my left ovary was the bigger one. Each time my doctors have assured me that all was fine.

If you are concerned ask your doctor more questions and ask for more explainations.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by JoAnnDe I'm not sure if they can inspect the ovaries with a TVH (I'm hoping someone that knows the definitive answer to this question will reply).

I will share my personal experience with you since I had the same concern when I was preparing for my TVH. It was important to me to keep my ovaries if they were healthy, but would my doctor be able to see them well when I had a vaginal hysterectomy? He assured me he would not only be able to see them very well, but he would be able to remove them if he had to. When I talked to him afterwards, he said he was able to get a very good look at them and they were healthy.

I hope everything goes well for you! Hang in there!

s, Deb