Prophylactic oophorectomy: Preventing cancer by surgically removing your ovaries
Why might a woman opt for oophorectomy over mastectomy?
Content
What is oophorectomy?
Who can consider prophylactic oophorectomy?
How much can oophorectomy reduce the risk of cancer?
What are the risks of oophorectomy?
Do you need postmenopausal hormone therapy after oophorectomy?
Are there alternatives to oophorectomy for preventing ovarian cancer?
Doesn't mastectomy offer a greater reduction in breast cancer risk?
Why might a person opt for oophorectomy over mastectomy?
What questions should you ask your doctor?
What is oophorectomy?
In an oophorectomy, a surgeon removes both your ovaries — the almond-shaped organs on each side of your uterus. Your ovaries contain eggs and secrete the hormones that control your reproductive cycle.
If you haven't experienced menopause, removing your ovaries greatly reduces the amount of the hormones estrogen and progesterone circulating in your body. This surgery can halt or slow breast cancers that need these hormones to grow.
Women with BRCA gene mutations usually also have their fallopian tubes removed at the same time the ovaries are removed (risk-reducing bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy) since they have an increased risk of fallopian tube cancer as well.
Preventive surgery for people with Lynch syndrome, also known as hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer, may also include removing the uterus (hysterectomy) since they have an increased risk of endometrial cancer.
