Thread: just had D&C and a unilateral oophorectomy

I just had a hysterectomy march 10 & I am left with half of one ovary due to scar tissue from csections & cysts. I did alot of reading & I think as long as you still have any overy & don't go into menopause that you should be fine, the majority of the issues start if you go into menopause.

I was trying to decide if I should just have the ovary removed but my Dr. said saving part of it would make a big difference.

I had my other ovary totaly removed 3 years ago when I had my last c section & my hormones seemed fine I just seemed to get cysts more often or that I noticed more often I have been getting them for years now. I just make sure any time I think I might have a cyst(pain) I go to the Dr. to have it checked out there is no point in taking any chances. I don't even have to give the receptionist my name anymore I am there so often.

I hope things get better for you!

Dear RHH,

THE SAME thing happened to me in 2005...I was 25. I was six weeks pregnant and began to bleed. I went to the gyno and discovered a miscarriage, then a tumor in my right ovary (dermoid that was the size of a small potato). I was devastated. The pregnancy was unplanned and I was not married...so you can imagine the shocking chain of events...I thought I was going to die.

To be honest, I HAVE SCOURED the internet for information on unilateral oopherectomy, outcomes, signs and research about hrt....I DESPERATELY want children of my own one day. I would have had children earlier, but I haven't found Mr. Right.

No one understands being a woman in 2008...I swear.

I am frustrated because my gyno tap dances around the topic of fertility and the prospect of early menopause. It's almost like he is hoping for the best...I feel some bias as well...I am not married, I am young...

It's exhausting. I have recently relocated to Dallas-Fort Worth and I am in search of a fertility specialist/excellent gyno....I am not leaving this to my old gyno anymore...I want answers, I want information. I want to know all possible outcomes and what I can do...ya know?

Also...since my surgery, I have gained about 40 pounds, despite a very active schedule. I have constant fatigue and I am depressed on a daily basis. I am still having periods, fairly regularly...but I am noticing more cramping and pain. In may I had a small cyst in my remaining ovary which popped on its own. I was alarmed, but good ol' dr. happy gyno brushed it off...whatever...I am calling .

It just seems like information is so limited and doctors want to talk best case scenarios...

If you find any info, or if anyone else finds info PLEASE post or email me at beautyinallthingshotmail.com .

Thanks for reading!

BR

I have just experienced a similar situation. I am 21 years old and went for an ultrasound as I was having abdominal pain and they found a mass on my Left ovary that was as big as an orange. They then left me with no information or assistance for 7 months, but I have just had it removed. I am only 21 years old and I now have a very large unsightful scar across the whole of my lower abdomen. They took my left ovary out and the mass was a dermoid cyst.
I have been told very little about any consequences etc, I also want to know if my body shape will return to normal, I was a very active and slim person before the surgery, now I look like a pregnant woman, no offense, but I only want to look this way if I'm actually blessed with a beautiful baby. Has anyone got any advice? I'm suffering from very bad feelings of inadequecy as a woman, low self-image and fear that I will not return to my normal self? Are there other things I should be worried about?

Wow, I have practically the same story.
I'm 21, and over the summer I had bad abdominal cramps, after a brief fainting spell. I already removed my appendix at age 18 (which is the same right lower quadrant abdominal pain) so I safely knew THAT wasn't it, but my doctor put me on a mild antibiotic for a vaginal infection, brushing off the pain as just that. The painful condition went from Monday until...well..until I demanded a MRI on Friday afternoon, leading to immediate hospitalization and surgery Saturday evening.
I guess I have a "high pain tolerance", but it was inexcusable that multiple doctors and visits let this slip by them. At the hospital they diagnosed me with everything from a possible cancer to a possible bowel obstruction, so actually a unilateral oophorectomy and the removal of my left ovary and fallopian tube sounds like the best case scenario. I had a 13cm follicular cyst that had burst, twisted and necrosed my tube. I am 21. I was on summer vacation, and quite frankly, could not bear to have a surgery when I was leaving for the beach in 2 weeks!

Its now October, I've been on birth control since then and have had regular periods (I've always been irregular) but my GYN said this was to prevent the risk on the other ovary. I'm not sure if that will prevent an early menopause, the materials seem mixed on that.
I had a low incision, but I *DID* swell up like a balloon. AND I got stretch marks. But honestly, the worst part was the swing of emotions/hormones about a month after surgery. I cried at the sound of sad music! Everythings balanced out...surgery kicked me off my feet for awhile, so I'm less fit than before, but this of all things is making me more concerned with how I treat my body!

I admire everyone who went through this. I only wish the Doctors had treated me MONDAY and maybe I could have kept my ovary?
We'll never know.
God bless the MRI tech that caught the cyst and demanded a bed in the ER for me. If that file went on someones desk until Monday at 10am when Doctors go back to their offices, who knows....

starsgofaint thats an impressive story, shocking that they just put you on the backburner! My story seems so civilised, maybe the health system is better over here in NZ, they detected my mass before it was causing any problems, however it had already taken over my entire ovary so there was nothing to save. I was also majorly concerned with the incision etc as I am going to rarotonga in a few weeks, however the incision site for me is so low that I think I will be fine in a bikini. I also experienced the bloating, it was awful!! But has subsided lots now and it has only been 20days since my surgery, I started physiotherapy today so I'm on the road to recovering my fit and healthy body. It definately makes you think a lot about yourself thats for sure! I think though it has opened my eyes to the fact that I'm not invincable and I hope I am a better person coming through this. The mood swings are awful, my partner bears the brunt of them and I feel dreadful for taking it out on him. It was weird, I didnt want him to see my scar for the first week or so, and even now get a little ashamed of him seeing it, are other people the same? Or am I just being overly self-conscious? Thank you starsgofaint for sharing your story, its reassuring that there are other people out there my age with the same problems, although I definately wouldn't wish this upon anyone.

Take care x

I can relate to all your stories. I'm sorry for all you've gone thru, but thx for sharing. It helps. ~hugs~

I just had a unilateral oopherectomy with part of my fallopian tube removed today due to a dermoid cyst. I will provide you with some of the information I have found and a little of what I know from my physiology classes. Hope it will help. First off find a good doctor. I know it can be difficult and expensive. In response to your fertility. Since you still have one ovary you are fertile, that is assuming there are not additional problems you had not mentioned. If you are mensturating, chances are exceedingly good that you are ovulating. When you have two ovaries, they go back and forth as far as ovulation. The left will release an egg and the next month the right ovary will release an egg. When one of the ovaries is removed, the remaining ovary will compensate. This means that the remaining ovary will ovulate every month and will provide the necessary hormones. I have been told that hormone functions should be normal, as though you had two ovaries. Again, the single ovary compensates. Kind of like having one kidney. My gynecologist said it is a great design that we have two ovaries and that my fertility will not be affected. If you have any pain in the remaining ovary, or in that general area...see a gynecologist and get it checked out to make sure no other cyst has formed. As far as early menopause, I don't think that will be an issue...the only thing I have read is that it may occur 1-2 years earlier and this was only from one source of information. If you are a smoker, quit. From what I had read, this is VERY bad for ovary health, increases the onset of early menopause, and there is one reference I found that believes this may be linked to ovarian cysts, nothing conclusive though. I hope that in some way this will help. Just remember, if you have atleast one ovary (I think even a partial one too) and are mensturating, you should be fertile and able to have children.

This thread is incredibly interesting to me, both as a patient and an Ob/Gyn physician. I had a unilateral Oopherectomy 2 years ago (at 32) also for a dermoid cysts. My mother died of metastatic cancer with an unknown primary source at the age of 47, and since 10 % of dermoids become malignant, I elected to have the oophorectomy. It was kind of a quick knee jerk reaction to seeing the dermoid on ultrasound and saying OK lets take it out. Now, however, I'm beginning to ask myself some of the same questions that you all are. The average age at onset of menopause is four years younger in patients that have had unilateral oophorectomy, and there is an increase in your risk for cognitive impairment and parkinsonism afterwards as well. These are all serious issues that I hope I will become better at addressing before advising patients to have an oophorectomy for benign causes. I've decided, however, that I will probably begin taking birth control pills until about age 50 for the cognitive protection if nothing else.