Should You Have Your Ovaries Removed at the Time of Hysterectomy?: One Day your Ovaries are IN, the next day they are OUT!
If you have a hysterectomy for a cancer of the ovary, the ovaries do need to be removed for the most successful treatment. However, medical teaching has led us to feel one day ovaries are in, and then the next day they are out! But there are some important considerations. At the time of hysterectomy many women need the ovaries removed because of the same medical problem that led them to need a hysterectomy. The removal of both ovaries is called bilateral salpinoophorectomy or BSO But some women are focused on the fact that 1/70 women will get ovarian cancer in their lifetime, and ovarian and tubal removal will reduce this number significantly. Breast cancer patients may do better with ovarian removal and that is another reason that is a good reason to have your ovaries removed at the time of hysterectomy. In the Nurses Health Study , published in Obstetrics and Gynecology April 2013, they have begun to look very closely at what happens to women make a decision to just have thei...