Hysterectomy as a preventative measure?

Hello, morethan!

I am a 2 and 1/2 year survivor and going strong.  Had a hysterectomy last year because I was done having children, was premenopausal...but, Tamoxifen was causing long, heavy menstrual cycles.  After much thought and conversation, I opted for a total hysterectomy.  It was completed laparoscopically and was uneventful and paled in comparison to my other surgeries.  My worst mistake was reading all the terrible sensational articles on hysterectomies prior to my surgery.  I wish I didn't worry about it as much as I did.  To this day, I never have had one regret.  It is a relatively easy surgery nowadays.

Good luck in your decision!

Morethanasurvivor, I'd be interested to know what you decided to do and if you had the surgery how it went. It may be in my future.

I am the third of 4 sis to get bc and then found out I had brca gene...had prophylactic ooph and hyster.  my daughter and all nieces os sis who had bc have brca gene as well.  My daughter had prophylactic ooph and hyster and 4 of the 7 nieces have had prophylactic mast with reconstrution.

I also had bilateral mast.

I will do everything I can to make sure I have no recurrance. 

I am probably too late for responding to morethanasurvivor.

However, if it can help one other person... ladies, please... do your research and open your minds to more than traditional medicine.

Cutting out all of our body parts is not addressing the cause.  I know, no one is certain exactly what causes cancer, but there is an abundance of information out there.

I found a book by Patrick Quillin, Beating Cancer With Nutrition.  He is a former VP of a major Cancer Treatment Center in our country... You can even Google him.

He has worked along with traditional medicine using his nutritional approach of supplements to build a strong immune system.   His book is worth checking out.  Even if we can save one person from unnecessary surgery it is worth while.  Even Dr. Susan Love says prophylactic mastectomies give a false security as you can still get cancer in the chest wall.  I have read where many noted physicians from Cancer Centers are alarmed at the huge number of prophylactic mastectomies for various reasons.

Take the time to research your options.

I had an oopherectomy Feb. 08, as I was just plain nervous about the hormones circulating, even though I was on tamoxafin and was shown to be a good metabolizer of tamox. But another big reason I did it is because, the females in my family tend to have a late menopause. My mom was dxed with breast cancer pre-meno at 56. I was 48 at dx, now 50, with no signs of perimenopause at all. - I was afraid after the 5 yrs on tamox, I might still be premeno and just didn't want to wait around and see what would happen. - I just wanted to "be done with it," and start an AI.

For the most part the ooph was right for me. I have had very little trouble with the AI, except a little stiffness. Of course I still have hot flashes but they are getting some better.

Julie

You will still have some hormones----even without ovaries, estrogen is still produced in the adrenal glands, skin and fat. I had to have everything removed abdominally due to ovarian rupture (TAH/BSO)  4 years ago and continued taking tamoxifen.  I did have an increase in hot flashes and achiness and the first year was rough, but things did level off over time. I still have  those SEs, but they are more manageable now.  Except for a few "dry" months during my recovery from my surgery, our sex life really didn't change----it's fine; nothing that a little lubrication can't handle!

anne

I was diagnosed with dcis 2 years ago.  I was put on tamoxifin. Last year, I was told I had an abnormal cyst on my ovary.  My gyno called to tell me she thought it was cancer due to the fact that I had bc.  She had me go immediately to an onco gyno.  I opted for total hysterectomy, done laproscopically.  Turned out to be just normal fluid filled cyst, appearing solid on sonogram!  I was SO relieved!!  I never realized how much aching, pulling, pushing, twisting, cramping, gurgling, etc. I lived with until it was all gone!!  I love life with no uterus and ovaries!  My worst symptom is night sweats, but nothing I can't live with.  They put me on Arimidex after surgery and I took them for 7 weeks until I couldn't take the body aches and fatigue anymore.  I'm 46 and felt like I was 86!  Quality of life was not good!  Now I'm back on Tamoxifin and feelin' fine!  It took a good 4 weeks to get the Arimidex out of my system.  Now no aches and pains and I'm back to myself.  I don't get many hotflashes, sex drive is ok.  I just feel great.  I recommend it to all of my friends!  I guess it's different for everyone.

I have been on Tamoxifen for 5 years and will be coming off it in January. I have to decide whether or not to have a TAH/BSO and then go on Arimidex. I am 42 and have a history of ovarian cysts and have a 5cm cyst right now (simple cysts) but no family history of gyn cancer (no breast cancer either). I appreciate all the posts talking about the positive outcomes of having the procedure done. I was 35 when I was diagnosed and feel blessed to have caught it so early and didn't hesitate to have a bilat. mastectomy but for some reason, this decision is a little harder. Any words of wisdom would greatly be appreciated

I'm relatively new to all of this.  I was just diagnosed with BC in December and opted for a lumpectomy with radiation.  Unfortunately after one of my procedures, I developed a DVT and PE and am on Coumadin til June.  I will be having a hysterectomy after the Coumadin treatment and cannot be on Tamoxifen because of the risk of blood clots.  What is AI?  I know I will be on a medication after my surgery, but I'm not sure what.

Jd3234, I had my ovaries removed when I was almost 60, 2 1/2 years ago. Like you, it was recommended to lower my risk of ovarian ca. I was post menopause, as I assume you are since you're 64. I had no hot flashes or any other symptoms. My only adjustment was in remembering to say "I was at high risk of ovarian ca" instead of "I am at high risk".

The question you need to ask is what your risk of ovarian ca is. Your ovaries are no longer producing estrogen.

Best of luck with whichever surgery you choose.

Leah

I was post-menopause by about fifteen years when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had total abdominal (open) hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy about three and a half months ago. I had to spend one night in the hospital. There was pain, of course -- more in the beginning. It was especially difficult for me to get up from being down because my arms, shoulders, and back are very weak, and most arm use is painful for me. For the first few days following surgery, the start of my urine stream was uneven, but it shortly got back to normal. I had activity/lifting restrictions for a long time. I had two follow-up exams during the first month following surgery.