Oophorectomy?

Hiya  

Welcome to the community none of us want to be a part of. I can't really advise you as my cancer was triple negative, but i would say it is a choice you need to make yourself. I had some tough decisions to make and was told by my breast care nurse that the choice had to mine and to always remember it was the right decision at the time.

I would advise you post this question in the Breast Cancer Group as there may be more ladies in there who have been in the same situation as you. Plus there are lots more people who look in there than in here. 

I would also say give your breast care nurse a call, they always helped when i needed to make a decision.

Hi I’m 6 months into Zoledex injections 3x 1 monthly ones now on 3 monthly. I have been given no indication of how long I will need them...but I find them painful and would much prefer not to have them. My oncologist has not been particularly forthcoming about having my ovaries out but I think I would prefer to. If you don’t mind, what is making you doubt it may not be for you? 

Thanks for the replies..

I guess I am indeed lucky to be getting a choice here Galligirl! My main worry about having the ovaries taken out is that I’ve read that they continue to produce androgens after menopause which can help compensate for loss of oestrogen and help your body in loads of ways such as bone density, libido(!!), positive moods etc.

In my head I am struggling a bit with being thrown into an instant Zoladex menopause ( had 4 monthly injections now) its nice to think  I may get some of my more positive hormones back some day at the end of all this.

I am just wrestling whether that’s worth the risk of hanging onto the ovaries as there seems to be a slightly higher risk of ovarian cancer if you’ve had lobular cancer like me..also, an oophorectomy means no Zoladex and no 7 years of its potential side effects . And not to mention not stressing about my ovaries getting going again sometime after my Zoladex finishes.. can see both sides of this..

I know in theory I can wait but the issues will be the same and I have the chance to get going with this op soon..!

️

HIya, 

I too had lobular bc and had read about the ovarian cancer link. I had quite a large tumour, 53mm and most nodes affected. As my bc was highly oestrogen receptive (8/8), I just wanted to eliminate all sources of oestrogen from my body. For me it was an absolute no brainer to have an oophie especially as I had my dx when I was 43.

The zoladex side effects should pretty much be the same as having your ovaries removed. In fact I find the side effects minimal. The op itself is a walk in the park. Before my op I did have about 6/7 months of zoladex injections. I am so glad that I don't have to go through any more of them!

Cwtches, 

Gay xxx