TAH: Please give opinion please... Keep ovaries/Take Ovaries

I need help making a huge decision.. My husband is on whatever side I decide to fall on and my Dr. is leaving the decision up to me, unless he finds something unexpected..... I have had cyst on my ovaries for years, but the hysterectomy is being done for Anemia and Fibroid and passing terrible clots and heavy bleeding.. I am 44 years old and I feel that they probably still have a little life still in them, BUT I am researching this and keep finding pieces of information that concern me... In regards to Ovarian Cancer being much more "undetected". It is bad enough when the Dr.'s are knee-deep in the anatomy inside of us, but they are not spending as much time there, so it will be even more likely to be missed.

On the other hand you have Heart Disease and Bone Loss AND if you do HRT the increase of Breast Cancer ,which I have a family history of..

So here is my dilemma narrowed down: What IF it helped or even took away my terrible headaches..... I have Chronic Daily Headaches and have had them for nearly 10 years. We have tested and done everything and have yet to determine what causes them. I have a headache 75-80% of the time.. They have tested my hormones and say they are normal, my question is "What is normal?" I was never tested when I was 19 or 20 years old.. How do they know what is an imbalance in ME? IT would be an answer to prayer if my headaches went away, but that is unlikely to happen, without removing the ovaries, because there would need to be a significant change in my hormone levels. BUT, If I have them removed....I would try to avoid HRT due to the family history of Breast Cancer, so I would have a rocky road, but people do it everyday...

Or just keep the ovaries and deal with whatever MIGHT happen in the future.. My main concern with that comes from here... Yes, here..... I read the poll that was done about keeping ovaries, all 26 pages.. Do you have any idea how many ladies had to go back into the hospital within a year and have 1 or both ovaries removed ANYWAYS???? A LOT. That is a major concern to me.. I really would prefer to do this one time and one time only....

Thank you for reading this epic novel and PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR OPINION, I know it is only your opinion, not medical advice....

Michelle

I kept my ovaries and they are still kicking nine years later! I don't regret my decision in the slightest even with my diagnosis (endometriosis).

I have suffered with headaches for ages and have talked to my neurologist in the past about the possibility of them improving if I had my ovaries removed. He stated that the statistics are not in favor of that so he didn't think it was worth the risks.

I would suggest talking to someone who specifically understands headaches and hormones and see what his/her opinion would be. If you don't have a neurologist, I would strongly suggest you find one. And if you have not had a second gynecological opinion yet regarding your hysterectomy, schedule that appointment and check with that physician. You may also want to discuss the pros and cons with your primary care physician.

When making your decision, do consider what you will do to alleviate surgical menopause symptoms if you choose to have your ovaries removed. That might help you with your decision as well.

You will find each woman has a different opinion on this topic! We are all unique individuals with different circumstances so we will all make different choices based on our own pros and cons.

Wishing you all the best!

My opinion is that once they're gone they're gone. So as long as they aren't cancerous or diseased, keeping them is safe. You can always take them out later if it's a problem.

I have known several gals that had to go back and have ovaries removed. I did a total because I wanted to and my Doctor was in full agreement. It's probalby different for everyone. On the headaches, are you on anytype of medicine that could be giving you the headaches? Rebound affect? My father in law was taking tylenol 3 for years and finally went to mayos and found out they were the reason for his headaches. Occasionally it is found that meds are the culprit.

Only speaking from a personal standpoint, I would keep them. I don't have headaches though, so perhaps I would feel differently. I'm just wondering if the headaches are caused by a hormone inbalance, couldn't having the ovaries removed make that worse? Read what you can find on surgical menopause and weigh the pros and cons. I'm doing really well without any HRT but I'm 8 years older than you are. I actually feel like I have less severe menopause symptoms now than when I started going thru menopause 2 yrs ago. Still, I think that the ovaries offer a lot in terms of overall health, so if there's no compelling reasong to remove them, I'd keep them.

I am very glad that I kept my ovaries even though one of them still gets little cysts from the egg each month that hurts a bit. I think the ovaries do more than we even know for us so unless you have a reason to have them out, I would keep them. That is just my opinion but like you, I did a lot of research & found they would do me more good for many years. I was 41 when I had my surgery done. I also suffer with headaches & wish they could solve that too. Best wishes to you.

((((((Hugs)))) I know what you're going through, good luck on your decision.

Thank you all so much for your time and attention... In regards to whether I am seeing a DR. and/or Neuro. the answer is yes . I have seen over 50 specialist and been hospitalized 2 times, once for 3 weeks. All in an effort to control these crazy things.

Yes i do take medication, but it is monitored and I am all to aware of "rebound headaches", I have been on over 60 different meds and then try all the different cocktails they want to mix from those. and you have one loopy lady... I pulled myself off all but Topamax and 1 med for my Restless Legs. I have a pain med for when the headaches get out of hand. Other than that I am trudging along wishing for something so simple as "No Ovaries" to be the answer....

Wishful thinking, I just would hate to start natural menopause in 7-8 years and the headaches get better and I could have had a better quality if life if I had just taken the ovaries now... I may never know... I have discussed it with all of the specialist i see and they all just shrug their shoulders, because they don't know either....

I will continue with the research and opinion gathering , I have until DEC. 9th to make my final decision.... Thanks again for your time....

Michelle

Hi geezersgal -

This is really a tough decision for many of us. I am scheduled for surgery in January and hope to keep one ovary. The other ovary has a large "complicated" cyst on it, so the doctor feels that there is a high probability that it will eventually have to come out.

I based my decision on the recent scientific study comparing the relative risk of cardiovascular disease versus ovarian cancer in women who underwent hysterectomy with or without BSO. The rate of cardiovascular disease in women with BSO was ten times the rate of ovarian disease in women without BSO. Since cardiovascular disease is present in my family, and cancer is not common, I feel its more important to protect the health of my heart and blood vessels.

So, it is important to consider your own family medical history. Also, what will have a bigger impact on your daily quality of life? If you constantly worry that you may have ovarian cancer, you'll be adding too much stress to your life and may consider the risks associated with removing your ovaries worth it.

On another note, I have a friend who did get both ovaries removed with her hysterectomy several years ago (10+). She went through a terrible round of headaches a couple of years ago -- turned out to be rebound headaches. So, getting rid of your hormones may not solve the problem! Have you thought about trying Lupron to see if shutting down your ovaries gets rid of your headaches? May help you make your surgical decision.

Best wishes to you! Chronic pain is truly debilitating and hope you find a solution that works for you.

Ska2

You know thats a good idea.... I may not have enough time to do the Lupron before surgery, but i could leave the ovaries and then do Lupron after I recover and see if it affects the headaches and if it does then I can have the ovaries removed... You are a smart lady.. i forgot about Lupron.. that what I get for being an unemployed pharmacy technician.....LOL