Risk reducing - hysterectomy

Hi Sharon! I haven't had breast cancer, so this is a different perspective. I had a hyster because out of nowhere, I developed large uteran fibroids and the only way to control the heavy bleeding was taking Provera which contains progesterone hormone.  I was having 10 "good days" a month taking the max amount of Provera recommended, then 20 horrific bleeding days. It was just interfering with my life too much and driving me crazy. 

When I had the hyster (I was 43) I had to decide whether to keep the ovaries or not. If I gave them up, I would have to go on hormone therapy because I would immediately go into menopause. So...even though I have a grandmother who died from ovarian cancer...I have a maternal grandmother and aunt who both had breast cancer with billateral mastectomies (both survivors, grandma died 5 years later from a heart attack and my aunt is still living, in her 70s now, yay!)

I sort of rolled the dice and kept my ovaries. I felt like my breast risk may be higher (but who really knows?) and I didn't want to take estrogen and possible feed a problem.

So maybe this decision depends on your age as well? If you are already in menopause then I say get rid of all optional organs that can do you harm :-)  :-) 

Oh you will be fine, if I had been 49 at the time, I would have told them to take it all! :-) I used to have out of whack pap smears all of the time, so it is nice having the cervical cancer cloud taken away, for sure.

Hey, check out this great site: 

hystersisters.com

I got lots of great info about the surgery, what to expect, recovery, etc. Another great group of ladies out there willing to share experiences and help! 

Best of luck and I agree - this is a great decision, you will feel awesome afterward. I should have had my hyster along with tthe birth of my last child :-)

I am BRCA1+, and I had a hysterectomy. I know many people get oophrectomies, but since my risk for uterine cancer was elevated, I had my reproductive system removed. I don't regret my decision for one minute!  I had a history of abnormal pap smears, so I figured that I might as well get rid of any unneeded body part that could harbor cancer.

I had it done laproscopically, and it was a breeze. I was back to work in two weeks. I could have gone back sooner...I felt 90% recovered after the first week. I was walking laps in the hospital within hours of the surgery. 

I felt like it was something I could do to give me some control over an uncontrollable disease. Best wishes for your surgery tomorrow!

sharon-----I had to have a TAH/BSO (everything removed abdominally, not by choice---ovarian rupture); but at almost 48 it only reduced my overall risk (for bc) by a few percentage points. It is most beneficial at reducing bc risk if done before the age of 40; the closer you are to menopause (avg age 51), the less it reduces your overall risk (for bc; it greatly reduces your risk of ovarian cancer--by  about 90%).  For me, the first year was really rough as I could not take any HRT (due to my high risk of bc due to LCIS and family history of ILC); but things did level off over time and become more manageable.

Anne 

Sharon, great hearing from you and so glad you're healing well! It is a total relief to have all of those parts out. So nice not having the annual pap anymore and for me as someone who used to unexpectedly start bleeding heavily at the worst times, being able to swim without worrying, wearing white pants, everything!! Yay. If I didn't have a teenage daughter, I would enjoy not having to ever walk down that aisle again at the grocery store, too. :-)

Sending you a hug!

Hi Sharon, it's great to see you are doing so well, nearly 10 years since diagnosis. Have a big celebration!



You are welcome to pop into the Australian Sisters topic and say hi to the ladies there.



Racy in Brisbane.

I am having one next week as a risk-reducing measure. I have BC that is ER+, my mother has had ovarian cancer and her sister has had uterine/endometrial cancer. I have two large fibroids on my uterus that are pressing on my bladder and making me uncomfortable. I am also very close to menopause anyway, so for all these reasons, we have decided to remove the remainder of my female equipment (already had the boobs lopped off).