I am waiting for a vaginal and laparospic hysterectomy and it is my choice if I have my ovaries removed. Can someone please tell me what I will gain from keeping them and what I will gain by having them removed? I'm finding it so hard to decide! I know I will be on oestrogen only HRT if they are removed but can't weigh up the pros and cons.
I also had exactly the same op last January. And had the choice, my friend had told me that ovarian cancer is one of the hardest things to diagnose and if I left them inside then it would always be on my mind, what if? So I opted to have the lot taken out and am had I did. I am on the HRT patches and manage just fine on them. I don't sleep well but to be fair I never did Really before the op. Its your decision at the end of the day. Weigh up the pro's and cons and decided what best for you. Good luck and I hope all goes well x
Hi Angie, I was in your situation several months ago 
i feel your dilemma I think it's a personal decision based on what's best for you plus age etc. I personally chose to keep mine as I wanted to go through the menopause when my body was ready 
in surgery they did remove one due to it being attached to my fallopian, I've not had any problems as yet. Hope this helps a little take care
Hi Val, thanks for replying. Hope everything went ok for you. My gynecologist told me the same thing about ovarian cancer but not sure if I want the side effects or risks of HRT either. I've read that if I keep my ovaries it will help protect against brittle bones as I get older and if im right the risk of heart disease goes up if I I have HRT. Such a dilema! X
I know its a hard decision to make. The HRT IS also supposed to help against brittle bones I was told. Fingers crossed for you all goes well x
Thanks Marie. It's at times like this you wish the doctor would actually tell you 'right this is being done and so is this' then it's out of your hands. Think I need to have another chat with my GP. Did you say in hospital long?
Thankyou.
Yes Angie it would be a lot easier if they decided but they also may not make the right decision for us. It took me months to decide what was best for me, I stayed in hospital two nights I was lucky my husband had a week off work then I was fine on my own during the day. I had a abdominal cut so I must say I was really good and rested lots I'm so glad I'm on this side of the fence now .
Yes I can't wait until I'm your side of the fence too. Only just had my pre op assessment and could be waiting 8 more weeks! Thanks for your advice.
Hi Angie. I had a full abdominal hysterectomy and bso. I can't have hrt due to having 2 close relatives having and dying of breast cancer. I had my op the 19th of May and was in hospital for 2 days. I was back at work 5 weeks later. I don't feel any different now hormonally than I did before the op.
Instead of hrt I take well woman tablets to help with not getting brittle bones. I do have hot flushes and will go through the menopause early but I've never felt better. If you have concerns about having your ovaries taken away speak to the specialist again to weigh up the pros and cons. Good look with your op and keep in touch with us of your progress. Best wishes Karen
Hi,
I kept mine as this way I will go through natural menapause when the time comes. If they remove them, you go into surgically induced menapause over night!
Keep them if you can.
Thanks Market.
Hi Karen, I'm so sorry to hear about yr relatives. This situation must have been so worrying for you.
I haven't heard of well woman tablets. Are they herbal or prescribed by a doctor? Also do you have to come off them like the usual HRT aftet so many years?
Also, sorry for all the questions, do you start the well woman tablets/HRT while in hospital or does that happen a few days later. My doctor said the hospital give you some kind of plan to discuss with your GP, but surely you'd be experiencing the menapausal symptoms by then.
Hi Angie, I am one week post op from total abdominal hysterectomy with bso. I was in this dilemma for months just like you. You don't say how old you are or weather there is a family history of ovarian cancer. I was in the fence for months but in the end chose to have them removed due to me approaching menopause anyway. Ovarian cancer is a silent killer in women so I just removed that risk, why keep it there when you don't need them anymore. At the end of the day though it's your body, you know it better than anyone and go with your gut instinct it won't steer you wrong. Hope this helps, I'm here if you need anyone to chat to as are all these ladies on here they helped me so much.
Ann xx
Hi Angie I had a choice to keep them but with the family history decided not too. My surgeon said I could have hrt but because the history I had a far greater risk of getting breast cancer too. So he said it would be best to not have the hrt which will put me through early menopause. I'm 45 I guess it will happen sooner or later so I'm not fussed. The hot flushes I can cope with. The well woman tablets I take are from the supermarket they are vitabiotics called osteocare. They stop osteoporosis brittle bones. I take them once a day. And I feel fine. It's not a substitute for hrt just something I've took because it does everything hrt does. You can take them every day and it doesn't do anything to you or make you feel unwell if you don't.
Hi Ann. Thankyou. It's great to chat to people who are or have been in the same situation.
I will be 49 this year, so will be approaching the menapause soon anyway and must admit, my views are very similar to yours.....and then I change my mind....its driving me nuts lol.
There is no family history of ovarian or breast cancer for that matter.
I'm thinking that once the ovaries are gone, that's it, there's no turning back, and that worries me in case I get some horrible side effects from the HRT.
I hope you are well after your op.
Thanks Karen. It's good to know there are other choices out there, that the doctors don't tell you about.
Hi Ann
Just checking in to see how you are doing post op? Hope you are feeling a little better hon, I managed to get another appointment for my gynie as I said before I have had another surgery since my TAH BSO in July and advised need laparoscomy downward cut to remove mass of adhesions. I go back to see him Monday and I will be telling him to just book me in ASAP so I can get in with my life 😩 but hopefully I will be 😃 xxxx hope you are still resting xxxxx Nic
Haha Angie I know exactly how you feel I was doing exactly the same thing. I to am 49 this year and there was no history of either cancers in my family I actually went back to see the gynaecologist before my procedure as I was so unsure. He just said " you are approaching menopause you don't need them and ovarian cancer is a silent killer in women so get rid of the risk, so in the end I did, it was still my decision at the end of the day though and it has to be yours as well no one can make it for you Hun. As for HRT I'm hoping to do without it I'm on a diet and have been for 7 months now so I have lost a lot of weight and that with the excercise helped me massively before my operation with perimenapausal symptoms I felt great. Xx so a good balanced diet and excercise when you can start again after op is the way I'm carrying on hopefully it's all I'm going to need. I don't feel any different I certainly expected to after op but I don't at the moment just a few mild hot flushes and a couple of night sweats but I was having them before my op anyway. Chat whenever you feel like it I'm here with loads of time on my hands at the moment haha xx
Ann xx
Hi Nic, I'm good sweetie still in a bit of pain but it isn't half as bad as I had made it in my my head. The only problem I'm having is pain when I wee haha it's not like infection pain it's at the sides of my pelvis at end of weeing. Other than that I'm good. Bored but good haha. Glad to hear your sorting things out it does need doing, I hope I don't get any adhesions ( how do you get them anyway)
Take care and keep in touch my lovely xx
Ann