Ovarian cancer - clear cell adenocarcinoma of ovary (right) - Fertility spare procedure

Hi LindsayM11fbb9

Thanks for getting in touch and welcome to our online community. My name is Sherrye and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line.

I can see you’ve joined one of our cancer forums, I do hope you’re finding it a supportive place.

I’m sorry to hear about your diagnosis of 1A clear cell adenocarcinoma in your ovary back in 2022. I do hope your recovery from the surgery was straightforward and comfortable.

At Macmillan Cancer Support as we are a charity, we are separate from the NHS so have no access to their systems or anyone’s medical records so we can only give general information. More tailored and individual information would have to come from your medical team.

It’s common to be offered follow up preventative treatment after your main treatment if there is a risk of recurrence in the future or it’s a high-grade cancer that could spread quickly.

As you say it seems your type of cancer is quite resistant to chemotherapy, this is likely the reason you’re being offered more surgery.

When it comes to making treatment decisions like this your already doing what we’d recommend, you're asking questions, getting a second opinion and discussing things at length to better understand your options.

It’s never going to be easy making a decision like this, and unfortunately no one can make this decision for you. However, asking your consultant about your individual risks and possible timelines may be helpful – there maybe an option to continue with your current monitoring plan and delay this surgery for a period of time.

Understandably starting menopause early can be scary, but there is lots of support available to you, you team and GP will be monitoring you closely and create management plans for your symptoms.

I completely understand your fears in this and that having the surgery takes away your chance to have children naturally. I’d suggest another talk with you consultant or clinical nurse specialist (CNS) they may be able to refer you to a counsellor who specialists in topics like this. You may find our webpage on cancer and fertility helpful, there are several support links at the bottom.

It's easy to feel alone in something like this but you’re not and you won’t be the last person in a situation like this. If you haven’t already it may be helpful to share your experience in the Ovarian Cancer Forum, there will be others who understand your situation and can share their experience with you.

I hope this information helps. Please feel free to get back in touch if you want more information or support.

Best wishes,

Sherrye H,

Cancer Information Nurse Specialist 

You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm), send us an email or contact us through webchat.

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