Removing ovaries with Cervical Adenocarcinoma

Hi everyone,

I’m 40 years old and have stage 1B2 cervical adenocarcinoma. At present, there is no visible evidence of high-risk spread. I am single and have no children

Apart from the cancer, I am a very active and healthy person. Before the diagnosis, I never had any health issues.

My team is recommending the standard procedure for 1B2, a radical hysterectomy with removal of both ovaries.

In my case, my surgery had to be postponed by two weeks because a more urgent patient needed my spot. This delay offered me the opportunity to go through fertility preservation (freezing my eggs).

As a result of going through this treatment, I discovered I still have a high ovarian reserve and that my natural menopause would likely not occur until well into my 50s. This means I could have more than a decade of natural hormone protection.

I have since then started to questioning the removal of my ovaries and considering to take the 1-5% risk my surgeon said I have of ovarian metastasis based on population statistics, not my personal case.

 I know it sounds crazy. But I have had time to go over the initial panic of the diagnosis and to manage the initial rush of the medical team to go into surgery (it was my clinical nurse who intervened because my oncologist didn’t even mentioned fertility preservation as an option for me). I am now trying to make an informed decision balancing oncology safety and long-term health effects.

I have read a lot about long-term health consequences of induced early menopause in young women, especially under the age of 43, even on HRT. It is appalling how little research has been done on this matter and how little is explained to us so we can make an informed decision, because whatever direction we go, we need to assume risks and we need to understand them.

I’d love to hear from young women who faced a similar choice and what your experience with HRT has been if you decided to follow your team recommendation. My hospital doesn’t offer an in house menopause specialist so I will have to be referred via my GP. This is not very reassuring. I don’t know who will prescribe my HRT but I know that based on my age I need HRT the sooner the better.

Thank you so much in advance for sharing your experiences. 

Carmen