Should the ovaries be left in or taken out?

[wackyweasel]

Hi
I'm 25 and finally after 2-and-a-half years of constant heavy bleeding and pain, they have finally decided to do a hysterectomy. Although they aren't quite sure what's causing it, I have suffered from PID in the past and both my fallopian tubes are blocked.
The doctor has said he's going to leave my ovaries and tubes in and, in all honesty, I'm pretty worried about the idea. I have spoken to a friend of mine who recommends having them out as she had one left in and ended up back in hospital after a few months having the other one out. Personally I would rather have them and the tubes out, but I'm not sure if that is a wise thing to do- can anyone tell me about problems associated with having them out? And would anyone know if I have the right to request to have them out? It was a hard enough fight to get the hysterectomy in the first place! I'm having it done on the 27th of this month (June).

Thanks,

Weasel x x x

[Pickle Eyes]

Weasel, I'm not sure about your situation, but I'll explain why I am keeping mine (if they are healthy). Maybe that'll help you decide for yourself.

I am 44, I've never had children (partially by chance, partially by choice). I was diagnosed with cervical cancer (Ia1) just 2 months ago. I go for my hysterectomy on Wednesday. Most likely I'll get to decide the fate of my ovaries (if the second biopsy comes back "good" - otherwise I'll have to have a radical hyst).

I plan to keep my ovaries so that I don't have to go on artificial hormones. I'd rather my body produce as much as it can, for as long as it can. I can't fathom that man-made hormones are as good for the body as body-made hormones. The ovaries also continue producing very low level hormones even beyond menopause.

Some women choose to have their ovaries taken so they don't have to worry about having them out later. *I* don't want to have a body part removed out of fear of a future surgery. I figure my cancer and ovarian cancer are not related, so I'm not worried about that connection.

Anyway, I hope that gives you a few thoughts to ponder while making your decision.

[Thisby]

If you have your ovaries removed, you will go into immediate menopause and will have to go through everything that involves, including the possibility of needing hormone replacement therapy for the rest of your life (or at least a very long time). It's generally accepted that that is something to avoid if possible.

[Karon18]

Hi! I am 52 and had a total abdominal hysterectomy on 4/15th. The reason was that I had developed ovarian cysts a year prior and they never were discarded after my periods. We kept a close watch on them during that year but beginning last November I had to go to the ER because I thought one had become twisted (EXQUISITE pain). It turned out it hadn't but I was back in the ER the beginning of April and that's when I decided to have them removed. I could not live on Vioxx indefinitely.
This time the right ovary had twisted five times and was under the uterus when they removed it. I cannot describe the pain.

I also had about seven fibroids but they really weren't giving me any pain.
At any rate, I opted to have my ovaries because they were diseased. Ovarian cysts are common and generally pose no threat. Unfortunately, mine did.

If you had told me three months ago that I would have a total abdominal hysterectomy and be on hormones I would have said, "NO WAY!"
But, things happen and now that everything is over, I feel I made a great decision. I am pain free, recuperation for me was unbelievable and I couldn't feel better. I am on the lowest dosage of Vivelle Dot and have not had one hot flash. I plan to go off after summer, BUT I am feeling so well that many people are encouraging me to stay on it a while. I have never heard that you need to be on hormones for life. Menapause, at most, lasts ten years and that is not the norm.

So...unless your ovaries are diseased, I would keep them. They do provide hormones and your body needs those.

Plus, only being 25 I would think you would have to be on hormones for a long time and I worry about that. Natural is definitely best.

Good luck in reaching a decision. Consider all of your options carefully!

Karon

[1sunny1]

If there is no problem with your ovaries, keep them, Your ovaries do a million things for the body, like keeping the elasticity in your vaginal area and other places. Believe me, you want your ovaries. I had a hysterectomy in 1993 and kept my ovaries. I have been in menopause since then, I am 65 and wondering just when the menopause symptoms stop, I still get hot flashes, not often, but I do stil get them, there is no time limit you can put on menopause, it affects us all differently. But you would be wise to keep your ovaries, those little hormones running around in your body do wonderous things for us.

Sunny