Does PMS go away with hysterectomy and ovary removal?
I was scheduled for a hysterectomy when I found out that the doctor I had doing it was not respected in the field. I have a new doctor that is doing a vaginal hysterectomy on Monday and I have only one ovary left in me now.
I am curious how, if you keep your ovary does PMS go away? My PMS is directly associated with ovulation for me and it is severe. I am high risk for ovarian cancer but at this point I only have cysts once in a while on my remaining ovary.
The doctor is leaving the decision to me as to whether I leave it or not (as long as it looks healthy when she gets in there). I am very confused and don't know what to do! I do not want PMS any longer and I am 40 years old.
I worry constantly about ovarian cancer but I also don't want to do the wrong thing. Can you tell me how PMS and leaving the ovary correlate if they do at all?? Pro's and con's please.
I only have a few days left and I just have to make a decision/I hear so many different things that I am just so confused.
Although the symptoms of PMS are closely associated with the luteal (last half) of the menstrual cycle, most studies have not shown any consistent differences in levels of estrogen or progesterone between women with PMS and those without.
It has been demonstrated, however, that permanent reduction of estrogen and progesterone with oophorectomy (removing ovaries) results in reduction of PMS symptoms even if estrogens are given back as hormone replacement after the surgery. See the two abstracts that follow on the next page.
If indeed you are at high risk for ovarian cancer, e.g. family history, bilateral oophorectomy substantially reduces but does not eliminate the risk of ovarian cancer.
However, following their removal, your risk of heart disease, osteoporosis (bone thinning), pelvic floor relaxation problems, atrophic vaginitis (to name only a few) is substantially increased over your lifetime IF you are not committed to hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
The problem is that most women, 10 years after surgery or menopause, are not taking their HRT. So if you do decide to proceed with removal of your remaining ovary because of your severe PMS and your high ovarian cancer risk, please remember to take your estrogen!
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