Hi there ladies
I am having a hysterectomy soon. I have been given the choice of whether i would like my ovaries removed or not
I am really struggling to make this descision and am looking for other ladies perspectives and experiences. I know i am lucky to have a choice
For info, i am 42 and my family is complete
Thank you for reading x
Hi Sillysausage,
I had a radical hysterectomy in November, I also had the choice of having my ovaries removed or not. For me it was a no brainier I am 46 and my family is also complete. I had 1b1 cc so I wanted to make sure there wasn’t any chance of it returning. The only down side is that you go into surgical menopause almost straight away but I have managed menopausal symptoms by going on HRT. I hope you find this some help.
good luck with your decision and your hysterectomy. xx
I.kept mine back in 1997 but they didn't give you a choice back then. However, the cancer had,spread so I had to have radiotherapy and they got zapped anyway. A few years ago I was diagnosed with BRCA2-gene which is linked with ovarian cancer as,well as breast, so they then had to come out and it was one hell of a job.
I think that you are so close to.menopausal age that you might as,well have them out and protect yourself from future hassle. HRT after hysterectomy is a breeze as you only need oestrogen and not progesterone.
Karen x
Thank you so much Cazzie and PetesDragon for taking the time and responding, it is massively helpful to hear from other ladies, very much appreciated xx
Hi,
I had a radical hysterectomy in January after being diagnosed with 1b1 CC, I also toyed with this decision. I'm 41 and I opted to have them removed on the morning of surgery and I haven't taken any HRT as of yet. I have struggled with sleeping and hot flushes but I've found them manageable so far.
l have started chemo- radiation this week, so when that's finished I may reconsider HRT.
Good luck with the operation
Rachel xx
I was 42 when i had my RH. I, like you had real concerns as to keep my ovaries or not. My surgeon explained that going through a surgical menopause on top of recovering from major surgery wasn't something to be relished!
I kept them and had no problems from them since!
Hi there
I had 1b1 Adenocarcinoma in December 2013 , I was 40 . My consultant advised I keep ovarys to have a natural menopause , so I kept them , however in July 2015 my cervical cancer returned to the ovary so more surgery followed by chemo & radiotherapy.
apparentley it is extremely rare for cervical cancer to recur in the ovary, my oncologist told me after the recurrence " if he was a betting man it will be back again " personally I would have them out after my experience but everybody's journey is different and just because it happened to me does not mean in any way it will happen to anybody else , it's a tough decision , looking back I wish I asked more questions but hind sight is a great thing !!
Love greeni xx
Hi Sillysausage,
Am in a very similar situation to you: due hysterectomy in two days for high grade CGIN that refuses to go away. Following an ultrasound scan to check everything looks normal I have chosen to keep my ovaries. I'm 46 and have no menopausal symptoms at all and really didn't fancy going into it so suddenly as have enough else to cope with! I agree we are lucky to have choice and for me this feels like the right one. My surgeon wasn't bothered either way, as long as everything looked okay on scan, but we have agreed if ovaries look abnormal when she's operating then they'll come out with everything else. Really hoping you have an understanding doctor as I was given time to talk through and at least feel I have a bit of control over one aspect. Always good to get the opinion of those with experience I think as well as yourdoctor, but the final decision has to be the one you feel is right. My family obviously complete as a bit older than you.
Feb 2017 smear with high grade glandular abnormalities
Feb 2017 LLETZ complete excision of extensive high grade CGIN
Sept 2017 colposcopy appears normal
November 2017 smear result abnormal, glandular changes referred to MDT
January 2018 hysterectomy recommended
Feb 2018 pelvic ultrasound normal
April 10th 2018 due hysterectomy with ovarian preservation
Hi Sillysausage,
I'm 50 and was diagnosed with IB1 CC after cone biopsy in Feb. I am recovering from radical hysterectomy on 21 Mar. I wanted very much to keep my ovaries, but one was cystic, so surgeon took it.
I was glad to keep one, but my oncologist recommended yesterday that we do chemrads to ensure I'm cancer-free since I had some risk factors. This therapy is going to cook my ovary, but I'm still glad I had a few weeks of reduced hormones to make me feel that I'm easing into menopause. Don't know if it really means anything, but it's helped me psychologically. I'm so frustrated that I'm going to lose this one, too. It was worth a try?
As long as you don't have cancer, keep your ovaries, if possible, I vote. Good luck!
Hi Sausage:
I had a hysterectomy 2 years ago and chose to keep my ovaries. I was actually through menopause at the time. I discussed it with my gyno-oncologist and did some research on line. Apparently, and you'll have to forgive the vague, lack of techno speak here (2 years ago I was so on the money with the details/correct terms and now...) the cancer recurrence link is not between cervical and ovaries, but ovaries and breast. Therefore, it makes no difference to your odds of getting ovarian cancer because you happen to have cervical cancer. If you have a high risk of ovarian cancer - there are several risk factors I believe, including genetic (but, again, long time ago when I was doing my research)- then I guess you would/could go ahead and have them removed at the same time as your op. If not, and I didn't, my doc and my research strongly suggested keeping them. Ovaries, even past menopause, continue to secrete stuff which acts as a protecter against several diseases/problems that are big female killers, such as stroke and heart disease.
I would definitely do some research. There are several studies in the last few years that address this question directly and you'll feel much stronger about your decision when you have all the info.
Good luck!
t xx
