How long do ovaries work after menopause

Preventive surgery should not be performed if it does not clearly benefit the patient. Surgeons recommending oophorectomy at the time of hysterectomy are certainly well-meaning, thinking that they are helping their patients reduce the risk of ovarian cancer. This common practice will hopefully change with the above study finding excess morbidity and mortality in women who had oophorectomy, especially those who did not take estrogen therapy.

On another note, 2 studies conducted at the Mayo Clinic published in August data for the 2 studies was derived from the Rochester Epidemiology Project, one of the largest long-term integrated databases of patient records in the world showed that women who underwent oophorectomy before menopause had almost double the risk of developing dementia or parkinsonism.

The younger the women at the time of surgery, the greater the risk. Another surprising but distressing finding of these studies is that even removal of one ovary seems to have the same adverse effect neurologically as removal of both ovaries.

However, a reassuring finding in this study is that women who had their ovaries removed but received estrogen replacement therapy returned to normal risk. I think this is yet another piece of evidence supporting the benefit of estrogen therapy started at the time of surgical menopause. I would advise women to have a thorough discussion with their gynecologists about the risk of cardiovascular disease, neurological conditions and cancers, as well as aspects affected by reduction in androgen levels such as overall well-being and sexuality prior to making their decisions about whether to have their ovaries conserved or removed at the time of hysterectomy.

Would you like to switch to the accessible version of this site? Go to accessible site Close modal window. Don't need the accessible version of this site? Hide the accessibility button Close modal window. Accessibility View Close toolbar. Study Results For women who have a hysterectomy with ovarian conservation at ages and who are not at high risk of ovarian cancer, coronary heart disease, osteoporosis, breast cancer, or stroke, the probability of surviving to age 80 was This 8.

If surgery occurs at ages , the survival advantage is 3. Although quality of life issues are of great importance to women, data were not available to include these in our model. Premenopausal, and for some post-menopausal women, oophorectomy may lead to the onset of hot flushes and mood disturbances, a decline in a sense of well-being, a decline in cognitive functioning, poor sleep quality, depression and a decline in sexual desire and frequency.

Therefore, any assumption that medical treatment can decrease risks following oophorectomy is questionable. The results of our model suggest that the decision to perform prophylactic oophorectomy should be approached with great caution for the majority of women who are at average risk of developing ovarian cancer and who are under the age of Hopefully, our results will encourage a dialogue between doctors and women who are considering ovarian conservation or oophorectomy.

Parker, MD, Michael S. Obstetrics and Gynecology ; Objective: Prophylactic oophorectomy is often recommended concurrent with hysterectomy for benign disease. The optimal age for this recommendation in women not at high risk for ovarian cancer has not been determined. Methods: Using published age-specific data for absolute and relative risk, both with and without oophorectomy, for ovarian cancer, coronary heart disease CHD , hip fracture, breast cancer, and stroke, a Markov decision analysis model was used to determine the optimal strategy to maximize survival for women not at high risk of ovarian cancer.

For each 5-year age group from , four strategies were compared: ovarian conservation or oophorectomy; and use of ERT or non-use. Outcomes as proportion of women alive at age 80 were measured. If you have a hysterectomy, as well as having your womb removed, you may have to decide whether to have your cervix or ovaries removed. If you have cancer of the cervix , ovarian cancer or womb uterus cancer , you may be advised to have your cervix removed to stop the cancer spreading.

Even if you do not have cancer, removing the cervix takes away any risk of developing cervical cancer in the future.

Many women are concerned that removing the cervix will lead to a loss in sexual function, but there's no evidence to support this.

Some women are reluctant to have their cervix removed because they want to retain as much of their reproductive system as possible. If you feel this way, ask your surgeon whether there are any risks associated with keeping your cervix. If you have your cervix removed, you'll no longer need to have cervical screening tests. If you do not have your cervix removed, you'll need to continue having regular cervical screening.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence NICE recommends that a woman's ovaries should only be removed if there's a significant risk of associated disease, such as ovarian cancer. If you have a family history of ovarian or breast cancer , removing your ovaries may be recommended to prevent you getting cancer in the future. Your surgeon can discuss the pros and cons of removing your ovaries with you.

Learn what research says about its…. If you've been diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome, you may be wondering how to get pregnant with PCOS. Here's our guide for the steps to take. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. About post-menopausal ovarian cysts. What are the symptoms of a post-menopausal ovarian cysts? Causes and risk factors of post-menopausal cysts. How are post-menopausal ovarian cysts diagnosed? How are post-menopause ovarian cysts treated?

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