Should I keep my ovaries for longer?

I had to have an ovary removed when I was 41. I, too had a year old baby and one older child. Yes, I still had one ovary in me, but I was ready to have them take it out, too when I heard the "cyst" that was on the removed one turned out to be carcinoma in situ.



I went through natural menopause a few years later. It can be a bit uncomfortable, but it never made me feel less of a woman. In fact, only women go through that kind of great hormonal change so I accepted it as part of a woman's life.



Even losing my breasts four years ago to breast cancer didn't change my sense of femininity. Recon even heightened it. Without going over the top, I like to have some kind of feminine touch to my clothing...a ruffle on a suit jacket....a beautiful necklace with a t-shirt...dress shoes with jeans.



If all other things in your life are in order, why play russian roulette with your BRACA2 status?

I totally get where you are coming from.  For me, I don't want to become an irritable, grouchy, moody mom.  My sons are older (18).  Still, I was worried that a change in my hormones would change my temperment.  I also worried about this with the chemo induced menopause and then again with the 12 weeks of steriods.

It seems there will always be something I can worry about.  However, during the chemo induced menopause and the 12 weeks of steriods, I was my usual mild temperment, easy going self. All that worrying was for nothing.

I'm scheduled to have my ovaries and uterus removed in May a couple of weeks after I finish radiation. I'm ER+/PR+ also. My chemo oncologist, surgeon and gynocologist all recommended it.

For me, overall, it will be a comfort knowing that I am not producing more estrogen and I won't have to worry with it coming back in my ovaries or uterus.

I hope you can find a new normal that you enjoy.  I know that is what I'm having to do.

I understand your concern, and for me losing the ovaries was harder, psychologically, than losing the boobs. I should say that I am ten years your senior, so I was getting close to menopause anyway. Still, it worried me to rip them out. On the other hand, I had lobular cancer, which has a tendency to hit the ovaries and my mother had ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer is sneaky as all get out, and I am really happy not to have that to worry about.

So far I have been in chemo pause since July, then had the hysterectomy (I had some non-cancer problems with my uterus as well) a month ago and started femara a week ago. So far, I feel fine. As far as sexual function/feeling, it is also working fine. There are some minor annoyances, like the occasional hot flash or night sweat, but it is completely bearable for the time being (may get worse as the femara kicks in), in my case anyway.

I expected to feel worse about all this, but leave room to allow yourself not to feel bad, if that makes sense. I feel proud that I made it through all this horrific treatment with my sense of self and sense of humor intact. They can take away my boobs and ovaries, but they can't take who I am and I am a kick-ass woman, 100%.