Prophylactic Ovary Removal to induce menopause?

I did it last year. Even at 55 it was hard to lose that estrogen. The surgery itself was easy, and I was back to normal activity the next day, though I was a bit fatigued. The worse part of surgery was the CO2 rising to my shoulders looking for a place to escape. They have to "inflate" the area to see things. Ironically I did the ooph to move on to an AI, but after ten months I switched back to Tamoxifen. For me the joint issues were too much. It is a relief to take the ovarian cancer issues off the table.

CareyShay, welcome and we're sorry you have to be here. It's good that you know your risk is high. My daughter plans to have a BSO by age 30. She had a PBMX with recon at 20. It sucks, but good to know that your risk is so elevated.

Thank you for the link and info! I have read a lot about it, but was looking for some information from people who have experienced it. With the lack of activity I guess many people on the forums have not opted for the surgery.

Okay, I have got this question, Ladies. I have been working with my doctors, MO and Gyn to generate options because I can't take Tamoxifen with an SSRI (Zoloft). With all of my research, and I have been at it for 3 months, I am going to try the Lupron shot to shut down my ovaries. After five years of meds or whenever my hormones signal that I am post menopause, I will stop the shots. At the end of my five years, I will still have ovarian function which supports bone health and heart health in women. I think an annual CA125 is appropriate to make sure you are not at risk for ovarian cancer. I did mine in Nov to see if there was a substantial reason to have my ovaries out. My test came back extremely low and my MO said keep your ovaries and see how you do. We will do hormone checks every few months to monitor my levels. I am early 50s and no where near menopause. My MO thought radiation would kick my body into menopause, instead, I have normal monthly cycles. I have started a discussion under on the Hormonal board - "Uplifting........." You should join us, we are mostly in the same boat.

Thanks for the additional input everyone! I was aware it would be both fallopian tube removal along with ovary removal, I must have just forgotten to type that part in

lintrollerderby- Thank you for the additional website recommendation, I'll head over there shortly to check things out.

My main interest was in pushing early menopause so I can take something stronger than tamoxifen. My mothers breast cancer came back within fifteen years of her initial diagnosis, and I have been diagnosed fifteen years earlier than she initially was. It indicates I have a more aggressive cancer - in theory.

I was also told I will likely be on hormone suppressors for ten years instead of the more common five. This means that even when my ovaries are "woken back up" from the shots, I will be forty, with much lower quality eggs. I went through two rounds of IVF prior to chemo, with a total of 31 eggs frozen. So babies can still be on the table for me.

I appreciate everyone's feedback. It is helpful hearing so many different perspectives. Thank you all for taking the time to share and reply!

I did the Zoladex shots for one year and then opted to have my ovaries and tubes out. The surgery was failrly easy, though I ended up with a surgical complication that required an emergency surgery ( just one of those random things). I already had hot flashes and the only new problem after the surgery was night sweats. I was tired of doing the shots and nowhere near menopause, but I wanted to be on an AI because of the data showing better results. I'm glad I had it done Good luck making the decision!