Ovaries--to remove or not to remove

Hi!

I'm 41 and my family has no history of ovarian cancer, but my mother and maternal grandmother suffered osteoporosis, and there is heart disease on my father's side (males).

The reason for my Hyst is advanced uterine prolapse and bladder prolapse. I have dysmenorrhea, and urinary incontinence.... but no ovarian problems.

My Dr. recommends taking the ovaries out at this time, however, because he says that in his experience, most women who leave the ovaries end up coming back within a few years for another surgery to have them removed due to tumors or cysts.

I'm not looking forward to 10 years or more of HRT. Can anyone lead me to some reliable statistics on this subject?

Thanks, and God bless each and every one of you!

Donna otion:

I had cysts, so my ovaries are gone. I have no statistics.....
and prayer while you make decisions.

I chose not to have my ovaries removed because my hysterectomy was for prolapses of uterus,bladder,rectum. However I had already gone through menopause(no periods for two years) have no family history of female cancers and have never taken HRT. It was my choice but my primary care tried very hard to convince me to have the ovaries removed. The surgeon left it up to me. Just keep in mind that one woman in 70 gets ovarian cancer and it usually isn't diagnosed until it's too late to cure. Three months after I had my operation my best friend was diagnosed with Stage 3C ovarian cancer and is currently undergoing an experimental chemo.protocol.
It's a tough decision but now I'm wishing I'd had them removed. There can't be that much estrogen left in there. Since having my hysterectomy I rarely have orgasms,so the uterus must be more important in sexual pleasure than the ovaries. Good luck with what ever you chose to do.

Freckles -23

Thanks for the input. Sounds like you are a bit older than I am. I found some research that indicated that the chances for developing ovarian cancer begins to decrease significantly after age 45 and is 1% or less after age 65.

Also it sounds like the ovaries play a continuing part in our health and well being until very late in life.

If I had already undergone menopause, I think my decision would be much easier. Personally, I think you made the right decision, but what do I know! ha ha!

Basically I'm weighing a possible chance for ovarian cancer against a slight chance for heart disease and an almost sure chance for osteoporosis. WHAT A DECISION!!

GOD BLESS

Donna otion:

Hi Donna!

The question you ask is an oft-discussed topic on this site. To read through past discussions you may want to use our "Search" vehicle, accessible from the top of this page...hopefully, it will lead you to threads containing thoughts on the "pros and cons."

At the age of 50, I opted for prophylactic removal of healthy, functioning ovaries, and going on HRT for bone health and to eliminate surgical menopause symptoms. If achieving hormonal balance and a good quality of life throught HRT would have been a "piece of cake" for me as it is for many women, I would be happy with my decision. As it turned out for me, the Hormone Jungle has been quite challenging, to say the least.

Generally, I believe it's wise to retain healthy ovaries. Yet, I have come to peace with my own decision, and I hope that you find satisfaction with whatever decision you make, in partnership with your doctor, on the road to good health.

Many s and Best Wishes to You!

Your chances of ovarian cancer are reduced greatly if you have a hysterectomy and leave your ovaries. (From 1 in 80 to 1 in 300.) Here's a great article about keeping ovaries (scroll down to the subject line of IF YOU NEED A HYSTERECTOMY SHOULD YOU ALSO HAVE YOUR OVARIES REMOVED?).

If you have a history of cysts, endo or genetic breast/ovarian cancer link, the case can be made to remove your ovaries. If you have no history of cysts, is unlikely that you will develop them now.

If not, at your age I highly recommend keeping them. With your family's history of heart disease, your hormones are your best protection (of course genetics, good weight bearing exercise and healthy diet play a large part, too).

Heart disease and strokes kill over 450,000 women every year. Hormones protect the majority of pre-menopausal women from heart disease. More than half of all women who have a hip fracture (usually from osteopororis) die within a year. (As a comparison, 26,000 women a year are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, 16,000 will die from it.)

New blood tests are currently in development to detect ovarian cancer early (to supplement the currently-only 50% effective CA125 test).

In my opinion, you are far better off taking your chances with another (less invasive) procedure to remove troublesome ovaries down the road. Give them a chance. I'd like to think they won't let you down. My sister had a hyster almost six years ago and her ovaries are still going strong with no complications whatsoever.