Side Effects of Oophorectomy

Oophorectomy is a surgery to remove a woman's ovaries. The ovaries are the part of a woman's body that hold and release eggs to be fertilized. The ovaries also contain a woman's sex hormones.

Reasons to have an oophorectomy

• The inherited gene BRAC1 or BRAC2 indicates an increased risk of ovarian cancer and makes you a candidate for an oophorectomy. Breast cancer patients are candidates for oophorectomy because of the link between ovarian and breast cancer. Women with severe endometriosis will often have their ovaries removed.

Reasons not to have an oophorectomy

• If a woman has her ovaries removed prior to menopause, she will need hormone replacement therapy, specifically estrogen replacement therapy to reduce menopause symptoms. Women who have their ovaries removed are missing estrogen and are then at an increase risk of developing "brittle bones" or osteoporosis. Studies have found that women who keep their ovaries until age 65 are likely to live longer than those who don't.

Surgery

• There are two methods for this surgery. The laparoscopic procedure involves a small incision near the belly button and insertion of a laparoscope, a tool that allows the physician to see inside the body. Other small incisions are made where the physician uses small tools to remove and extract the ovaries. With the abdominal incision procedure, the physician makes an incision at the pubic hair line either horizontally or vertically, pulls apart the abdominal muscles, removes the ovaries and closes the incision.

Side effects of oophorectomy

• Known side effects of an oophorectomy include changes in sex drive, hot flashes, menopause symptoms, depression, anesthesia reaction, bleeding, blood clots, blood clots in the legs, possible damage to associated organs and infection.

What increases my risks of side effects?

• While side effects can happen to anyone, patients who are obese, who suffer from diabetes or who smoke are at a greater risk for side effects.