HRT and weight gain concerns

Hi did you have ur ovaries removed and have you experienced any weight gain

I'm new to this site I'm awaiting a hysterectomy with removal of my ovaries I'm so confused and concerned about symptoms ie weight gain is it worth keeping one ovary or not

I am glad you have found the site and I hope we are able to offer you some helpful information and support!

While weight gain can be a concern if you use or do not use HRT following an oophorectomy (removal of both ovaries). However, there are several other issues to consider as well. For one, estrogen can be critical for a healthy heart and skeletal system. It can also be important for moods, energy, and sleep. However, that same estrogen can fuel any endometriosis that is not removed during surgery.

For those of us with endometriosis, we have to look at a big picture. First, will our surgeon be able to remove enough endometriosis to allow us to either retain one or both ovaries or use HRT? If not, then we must figure out which is riskier, endometriosis recurrence or the negative issues from no estrogen.

Another thing to consider is the costs. Our own hormones are free. HRT can be very expensive. And, it can take a lot of time and trial and error to find the right HRT balance. If you choose to have both ovaries removed and do not use HRT, it can still be costly for the various supplements one should take to try to prevent bone loss and to keep your heart healthy. Depending on symptoms, you may also need to take other supplements and/or medications to minimize the varioius surgical menopause symptoms--hot flashes, night sweats, mental fogginess, insomnia, anxiety, blurry vision, etc.

Have you talked to your doctor about your specific concerns regarding having both ovaries removed? Have you had a second opinion about what is best for you? Have you talked to your GP about the impact of an oophorectomy on your overall health?

By any chance, have you consulted with an endometriosis specialist or are you seeing your OB/GYN? Generally speaking, a doctor who practices obstetrics is not the best one for treating endometriosis. I had my own hysterectomy with my OG/GYN and he was not able to remove all of my endometriosis. Thus, I continued to deal with endo issues for several years until I saw a specialist. For endometriosis, it is important to find a gynecological surgeon who has some extra knowledge and skill when it comes to endometriosis because neither a hysterectomy or oophorectomy will cure this condition. The key is the expert and successful removal of the endometriosis itself. A doctor who is practicing obstetrics likely does not have enough time to be able to be an expert in both obstetrics and endometriosis.

We do have a lot of information in our Resource Database you should read through to learn more about endometriosis, hormones, and hysterectomies and oophorectomies. The more you know, the better able you can be to make the best decision for you!

I wish you all the best!

my consultant is a endo specialist although this site is fantastic ive found myself very confused about what to do.
i know i have endo on my bladder so if i leave one ovary what is the effect of this. ive had many operations for endo but it keeps coming back i was told an hysterectomy with bso is the last resort but after reading comments i dont know hat to do and worried about the after effects of removing both ovaries i am 32

If your doctor is an endometriosis specialist, s/he should be able to remove the endometriosis from the bladder. Mine was prepared to do so during my last surgery but my bladder turned out to be okay.

If endometriosis is left anywhere, any estrogen can cause it to grow and spread--that can be estrogen from your ovaries or HRT. To complicate matters, even if you have an oophorectomy and do not use HRT, you aren't necessarily home free. For one, endometriosis itself has been known to create its own supply of estrogen. Fat cells can produce and store estrogen. There are dietary means that can allow for the creation of estrogen. Thus, the goal needs to be to successfully and skillfully remove the endometriosis.

Is your consultant the same doctor who has done your prior surgeries? What method does this doctor use to remove the endometriosis?

A hysterectomy is a last resort for treating endometriosis. If it is not causing any symptoms, temoving the uterus may have little or no affect on your symptoms. Removing the uterus also doesn't do anything for the endometriosis implanted in the body. Removing the ovaries, a big source of estrogen, can help if the endometriosis that exists is also removed. However, then you are without estrogen and at 32 years old, that might not be best for your overall health. So then one has to determine if no hormones is right or if HRT should be used. With HRT, you provide your body with some estrogen that can fuel the endometriosis, though one generally uses less estrogen replacement than what is normally produced by the ovaries.

Some women will find they have no choice and need to have their ovaries removed because they are so damaged by the endometriosis. Then, they have to decide if HRT is okay or not. You will find that some women choose to deal with surgical menopause without HRT, hoping to minimize endometriosis recurrence. Some can tolerate the surgical menopause symptoms, some cannot. It depends on how their body reacts to the lack of hormones. Blood pressure can be affected, libido, weight, bone health, emotional and mental health, on and on.

I know it is very hard to know what to do when you are young and facing a hysterectomy and/or oophorectomy. One reason it is so hard is that there is no black and white, right or wrong answer! Any answer could be wrong! It is extremely frustrating!

I had my hysterectomy for endometriosis when I was 25. My uterus was covered in endometriosis and there was no other way to treat it. We also could not get me to stop bleeding. I did not have my ovaries removed as I was so young and I needed hormones for my overall health. It was decided that my own hormones were better for me than HRT. Endometriosis was left on my bowel walls as my GYN did not have the skills necessary to remove it. With my ovaries, I had a good supply of estrogen to fuel that endometriosis. Several years after my hysterectomy, I had surgery with an endometriosis specialist to remove the endometriosis that had been left on my bowel walls, along with all the other new endometriosis present. Again, I kept both of my ovaries as that is what was best for me.

I would recommend making a list of all of the pros and cons for you. Sit down and discuss all of them and all of your questions and concerns with the endometriosis specialist. It might also help to talk it all over with your GP--mine has been great as a sounding board for such things!

Keep doing your research and then do what is best for you, knowing the risks but hoping for the best. You could have a hysterectomy and BSO and live happily ever after! My SIL did, even with HRT! She is about 18 years post op!

The one other thing I would recommend is make sure your doctor really is an endometriosis specialist. I don't know who your doctor is (and the names of physicians cannot be shared on the public boards) but I do know that some doctors say they are a specialist and they really aren't. If at all possible, you should get a second opinion as well.

I do wish you all the best and my goes out to you over your confusion! I wish there was something I could say to make it all simpler but I can't! Endo has too much gray area!

So would leaving one ovary b pointless? Should it be all or nothing? Thankyou for ur support you are very kind yes my consultant is a endo specialist that I def know I'm worried that my 32 year old body will turn old litrally overnight with all the consequences that go with it

He excises the endo and had removed adhesions and scar tissue

In my personal opinion, leaving an ovary would not necessarily be pointless. At your age, estrogen could especially important and your own hormones may be better for you than HRT.

But, if endometriosis is left, then you will have a good supply of estrogen to fuel the growth of that endo. Even then, I left both ovaries knowing there were endometriosis implants on my bowel wall. My need for estrogen was considered more important that the risks of the endo growing and spreading and we felt it was better for me to acquire estrogen from my ovaries vs. HRT.

We each have to figure out what is best for us. Since we are all unique individuals with different bodies and health histories, we won't all make the same decisions.

In a nutshell, it is my opinion that if you have a healthy ovary (or ovaries) and your surgeon is a specialist who can excise all endometriosis that is found, it could be worth it to keep the ovary (ovaries). Once an organ is removed it can't be put back!

Talk to your doctors about your need for estrogen and how it would be best to meet that need. Then make your final decision from there! There are going to be risks if you keep an ovary and there are going to be risks if you don't--the risks will be different and you have to decide which ones are the least risky for you!

Thanku once again can I ask what was ur main concern with taking both ovaries I think my priorities are all wrong for me its not the long term problems its about the here and now changes. My main concern is weight gain and my body looking different rather than really the important stuff. I am a very self concious person who has in the past been ridiculed for how I look so even though it is childish feel very strong about it. Sorry, I feel so confused and low at the moment

(((Michelle)))

Don't feel badly! Endometriosis is confusing for many, many people, including medical professionals!

And trust me, you are not the first woman to be concerned about her weight and you won't be the last! It is part of the picture and something to take into consideration! Hormonal imbalance can play a role in weight gain/loss.

My main concern for keeping my ovaries was preventing heart and bone issues. There is a family history of both in my family so I didn't want to increase the risks any more than I had to. I had also watched my grandmother struggle with trying to find a hormonal balance after she had her ovaries removed. She was NOT a nice person during that time. She felt miserable, acted miserable, and apologized for years and years once things were straightened out. She also had a double mastectomy for pre-cancer cells, and her HRT played a role in that.

Talk to your doctor about all of your concerns and see what he has to say. He may be able to ease your mind regarding what is best for you! Don't be afraid to ask your doctors questions and don't be afraid to post your questions here on the site!