I know this is maybe a weird/uncomfortable topic to bring up. Sorry
I would really love to hear from anyone who has experience with any of this. I feel very overwhelmed and alone in this decision. My H is supportive but her really can't understand it since he's not a woman. he just wants to fix it
I've just been advised to have my uterus (and possibly ovaries) removed. I'm having a really hard time deciding what to do. The reason for the recommendation is very large uterine fibroids. These cause very heavy/painful periods and may be contributing to some frequent urination problems as well. My doc said I could try the UAE procedure, but the fibroids are so large that she isn't confident it would help and might just be back again in a year for the hysterectomy anyway. So they recommend removal of the uterus altogether.
She also suggested I may want to have my ovaries removed at the same time. I am a breast cancer survivor; I was dx at age 34 with triple-negative BC (so, non-hormone related...) However we are waiting for a new genetic test this summer because someone suggested I may fit the profile for some new cancer "syndromes" (though I am BRCA negative.) if I tested positive for those, it would mean my risk for more BC or other types of cancer, possibly including ovarian, would be increased. Right now, my risk for anything ovary/hormone related is just a bit over general population. I think general is like 6% and I'm like 10%. So everyone's like, "hey while we're in there why not take out the ovaries to eliminate the slight possibility of a hormone related second BC, or ovarian cancer."
I am 47. My mom went through menopause at about 52/53. I believe I've been in peri-menopause for about 13 years, since my chemotherapy which caused a temporary menopause. I already get night sweats, have trouble sleeping, am very fatigued, prone to feeling depressed, have some incontinence issues starting, have some memory issues starting, etc.
I've been reading about surgical menopause after ophorectomy/hysterectomy, and am terrified by what I've read. It sounds so sudden, drastic, and horrible. I read some awful statistics about how surgical menopause causes a statistically shorter lifespan (heart disease, osteoporosis, etc.) and how there's a 2-fold increase in cognitive decline and dementia later in life!!!!! Plus that many women suffer INCREASED incontinence problems. (And due to my BC history we don't feel comfortable with hormone-replacement therapy...)
My recently-deceased grandmother had very bad osteoporosis and very scary dementia. So these issues are quite important and firghtening. And the quality-of-life stuff (incontinence, memory, insomnia, depression) don't sound like much fun either.
So I'm thinking, why on earth am I considering putting myself through this, when the fibroids are not a life-threatening problem??? Basically it's a quality-of-life thing... and I've been living with the bad periods and frequent urination already (which could just be peri-menopause anyway, right?) So why would I trade that set of KNOWN quality-of-life issues for an unknown, and possibly MUCH worse, set of probable consequences? Not to mention having to go through a fairly serious surgery with a 6+-week recovery period where I won't be able to live my normal life....
I asked the drs specifically if I could consider doing nothing, and they said, "We don't recommend it." There IS another consideration which is that my mom had uterine cancer at age 62-ish.
Right now I am leaning towards having just the uterus removed but not the ovaries, and letting myself have a more natural menopause. I'm somewhat surprised at myself for this, because I've always been one to take on the most drastic anti-cancer treatments suggested. but in this case I just don't know if the small possible benefit justifies the quality-of-life reduction it seems likely I'd experience!
Thanks. Sorry if this is weird.
Stacey
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