I am looking to find out any information from anyone who has experienced removal of ovaries pre menopause?

[MarieK]

I ‘m 42 with a history of endometriosis and fibroids and a Mother who died from OC aged 57 (diagnosed at 46). I have just had my annual ovarian screening and am awaiting an appointment with a consultant after another potential fibroid has been found, it’s blocking the view of my left ovary so the sonographer unable to say if both ovaries are okay. I do not want children and certainly do not want the risk of getting Ovarian Cancer and am considering an oopherectomy, would be very interested to hear from anyone my age who has experience of this? HRT? What to expect post op etc.

[ScardyCat40]

Hi I'm a year younger than you and had my ovaries removed last week as part of my hysterectomy. Its early days yet and I don't know if I will be able to take HRT. Ikm getting hot flushes and night sweats but I've been told that every woman's experience is individual. I asked my mum if she found HRT helpful but she can't really say. There are alternatives out there to manage the symptoms. Have you been assigned a CNS? I found talking through my options with her helpful also have a look at hystersisters.com

[MarieK in reply to ScardyCat40]

Hi there and thanks so much for your reply and the link to hystersisters. In fact it may be that I also opt for full hysterectormy as taking my ovaries protects from OC but I also have endo and fibroids, just taking the ovaries will still leave all that behind so although terrifying and drastic it may be the best option. How long did you have to get your head around having a hysterectomy, it terrifies me and although I don't want children it's kind of a different story when you know that option has gone forever..! So much info to take on board and rather over whelming..! I'm so grateful to the replies from the women on here, it helps to have support from others who know what's what and understand. M

[ScardyCat40 in reply to MarieK]

I had a couple of weeks and I know exactly what you are going through I never had children either but I did feel an overwhelming sense of relief after surgery. I also opted for an epidural rather than PCA for pain relief

[Lupatria]

i had a radical hysterectomy at the age of 47 as i had the early stages of ovarian cancer in one ovary and immediately had menopausal symptoms. the hot flushes especially made me feel very ill so i opted for hrt and was issued with patches.

i soon found out that i was allergic to the patches and, after consultation with my gp and my specialist, it was decided to put me on transdermal hrt [implants].

i looked at the pros and cons of hrt and decided that being protected against osteoporosis was preferable to anything else. my mother had osteoporosis which led to major problems for her.

i am now 63 and i am still having twice-yearly implants and will continue to have them for as long as i am offered.

i find that after five months, just before my next implant, i start showing menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes and mood swings as well as not sleeping properly and i am just not prepared to put up with these.

thanks to the internet we have access to all sorts of information about hrt and its pros and cons so we are now able to make an informed decision about what happens to our bodies.

[MarieK in reply to Lupatria]

Thank you so much for the advice and information. Depending on what happens I think I will opt for some kind of HRT as the risk of osteporosis does worry me and I have no desire to experience menopausal systems just yet. There is so much information that my head is spinning but I am very grateful to the advice of other women who have experienced similar things. As for the mood swings with my gemini temperament I doubt anyone would notice the difference..!!

Good to hear from you and excellent news on beating OC and also for taking the time to reply to me.

Cheers

M

[wendydee]

I had a radical hysterectomy and ovaries, omentum etc etc removed when I was 52. I had OC in both ovaries and omentum. I hadn't had children and had had really awful periods for years with undiagnosed endometriosis and fibroids (which was how I was finally diagnosed) I had implants for the first couple of years after my op and felt wonderful. No menopausal symptoms and I felt really well. After the age of 55 my menopause clinic suggested I tried managing without the implants and I had menopausal symptoms, hot flushes and headaches. However, I had always intended going through the menopause naturally so I am OK with that. I use a Ladycare magnet for the flushes and have been referred to the neurology dept about the headaches, so I can cope. I do load-bearing exercise to guard against osteoporosis, too. No-one told me how brilliant it is to wear white jeans whenever I want to! That's the great thing, and saving all that money and time on periods and the necessary stuff to cope with them. I don't miss my womb one bit!

Good luck with your decisions

Love, Wendy xx

[dundeegirl]

Hi Marie,

I had both ovaries removed last year due to tumours on both. (I still have my womb and they saved some eggs as unlike yourself, family was a big priority for me). I was 33 at diagnosis, now 34. I personally have found the surgical menopause really tough - however I am not able to have HRT as my tumours were receptive to oestrogen. I don't want to scare you in any way, as I am aware that other ladies in my position have not had the same experience. But for me, the surgical menopause is very, very difficult - I have a lot of hot flushes, vaginal dryness (sorry to be grim but for me this is an issue and I'd rather be honest) and tiredness which my cancer nurse says is quite often a complaint with surgical menopause. So for me, I would look now into whether you can have HRT afterwards - I am currently having a short block of it as part of my current IVF attempt and while I have it, it makes a huge difference to my menopause symptoms.

As I said, I don't at all want to scare you - and I know others are different - but this is my experience so far.

All the best

love

Cat xxx

[Joelle]

Hi Marie,

I had both ovaries, womb and cervix removed when I was 32 (coming up 5 years ago). The hot flushes kicked in quite quickly, I did tend to suffer mood swings that could be quite extreme (think of my poor husband!). I sometimes had a bit of joint aching. As Cat mentions there was an impact down below too (but then surgery can affect that area too if the cervix is removed)

I sought advise from my local menopause clinic after my oncologist said that as my cancer was not oestrogen receptive I could go on HRT. Initially I went on patches but became intolerant to the patch themselves. So then we discussed implants (I was not keen) or tablets (which I started with reticence). Again I was not completely happy on the tablets so went back for some more advice. I am now using a topically applied gel - which is amazing. Apply once a day to the thigh area and it drys in in just a couple of minutes and off I go! Re. the discomfort in the vaginal area I just use an over the counter lube so that isn't so bad (although you can get medical help if it really does become a problem).

I have also looked at my diet to try to supplement using plant oestrogens - soya products, chickpeas and others all aid natural phyto-oestrogen levels than can help combat the symptoms. I also found being more active (think about weight bearing exercises for bone density and things like yoga/pilates/tai chi) very beneficial on every level.

It was hard at times but I felt it was a necessary evil which I knew I could get through given the treatment I had already had for the cancer.

Re. the surgery - just be kind to yourself - don't push too hard, too soon to do things - listen to your body and you should be fine.

Ok I think that is enough from me! Whatever happens all the best to you and I hope you get the support and advice you need to make the best decision.

Kind Regards,

Jo

[MarieK in reply to Joelle]

Jo, thank you so much for the honest information, it's what one needs in order to help make an informed decision, these consultants can be a bit pushy in my experience and treat you like a vehicle rather than a human being.!

At the moment I've no idea what the new growth is or what he is likely to find or suggest but the women on this site are all amazing and I am grateful to people taking time to write and share their information and stories.

You are a lot younger than me but I'm still not sure I'm ready to face a surgical menopause yet..!

I will keep you posted and thanks again.

Kind regards

Marie x