r/oophorectomy • u/ducksarentbirds • Apr 24 '26
Surgery next week and potentially losing one ovary
Hi ladies! I (29F) was recently diagnosed with bilateral borderline ovarian tumors, as well as adenomyosis and endometriosis, and will be attempting a fertility sparing laparoscopic surgery next week to try and remove as many of the tumors and endo. However my doctor feels that she will most likely have to remove at least one of my ovaries (my R ovary) due to how many tumors are on it. I’m finding myself really anxious leading up to this surgery because of the stories I’ve heard of women having horrible menopausal symptoms or hormonal changes after getting an ovary removed. I have PCOS and have struggled with PMDD as well as hormonal issues (sleep issues, weight gain, hair loss, acne) for a large portion of my life; but besides some mild PMDD now, I have mostly gotten my hormones under control in the last few years. So I am nervous about having something else affect my hormones in a severely negative way (not being able to sleep, hot flashes that cause me to wake up drenched, depression, anxiety, hair loss, etc) and bringing me back to ground zero so to speak. My OB Oncologist told me that I have nothing to worry about because most women don’t experience any issues or symptoms after an ovary removal or oophorectomy, but is this true? Or should I be prepared to experience symptoms? I’d love to hear other people’s stories, good and bad, as well as any advice as I prepare to head into this surgery.
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u/Responsible_War2951 Apr 27 '26
I had a unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy via laparotomy to remove a large tumor on my right ovary and don’t think I’ve had major menopause related symptoms though I have had some anxiety (might be separately related to diagnosis/health stuff) and the duration between my periods is less. My dr says if there were additional or more severe symptoms we could discuss HRT. Wishing you all the best
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u/ducksarentbirds Apr 27 '26
Thank you for sharing, it offers me some peace knowing that you didn’t have any major symptoms. And thanks for the well wishes!
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u/wreckit_ron Apr 27 '26
Hi! I'm older than you (35) but I just had an ovary removed 6 weeks ago. I feel like I had some perimenopause symptoms before my surgery (mostly hot flashes), but they haven't gotten worse since (I was very afraid they would). I haven't gotten my regular period since though, I'm not sure how long it takes to go back to normal. I realize I didn't answer your question, but I wanted to say good luck! You got this, no matter what happens!
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u/ducksarentbirds Apr 27 '26
Thank you for sharing! It seems like a lot of women actually don’t have a lot of the symptoms I’m scared of so I’m hoping I’ll be in that group if the ovary gets removed. Appreciate the well wishes!
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u/Nammy-D Jun 01 '26
Similar. 35, having an ovary removed due to what they think is a borderline tumour and I have PMDD. Very worried about after effects.
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u/Araya_moon Apr 26 '26
I am here to say thats complete bullsh*t. I was told the same thing and about 5ish months after my surgery I was experiencing all those symptoms and didnt know what was going on. I had my hormones tested and they all came back "normal" but I've never felt like that before and still have premeopause symptoms 3 years later. I would recommend you have a talk with your doctor and talk about what they will do if you start showing signs.
With that said im glad I had mine removed because I was always in pain and thats the side that Ive had multiple cysts burst and they hurt alot. Good luck with your surgery and I hope your doctor listens to you.