Has anyone ever had an ovary removed?

mackiners · 05-26-2005, 06:04 PM

Hi. I had a large ovarian cyst, my left ovary and fallopian tube removed just over a month ago. My remaining right ovary is polycystic (I've had PCOS for over 10 years). Has anyone else experienced the loss of an ovary? I feel very isolated. I don't know anyone else who has gone through something similar, therefore I don't know if it's normal to have a sense of loss, and also despair at the thought that I only have one PCOS ovary left. Where I live (in the UK), I have not been offered any form of support..... hence the reason for turning to the web.

Veggie2005 · 05-26-2005, 09:53 PM

Hey, I think it's pretty normal to feel the way you do.

Are you worried about having children? Cause I'm sure this would make the loss even more worrisome.

Anyway, I have not had an ovary removed, but my best friend did. She had it removed during another procedure because there were fibroids etc. attached to it. So, it was a complete shock when she woke up and they told her they'd removed it! She was assured by her doctor that she would still function normally and she has gone on to have two children.

I hope you feel better about it soon. Hugs to you.

shellrenee68 · 05-26-2005, 11:48 PM

Hi! I had my right ovary and fallopian tube removed in 2003. My left ovary is polycystic with numerous cysts. My RE said I could still ovulate with one ovary and have children, however my insurance would not cover any of the fertility and so we chose to adopt. I have not had a period since November 2003 but don't feel any different than I did when the ovary was there. When they did the operation, they also did ovarian drilling on my left ovary and so I did have a normal period every month from June to November, then nothing. I did feel a sense of loss for awhile, not knowing if I would ever be able to be a Mom because of this, also because it is in essance, our "womanhood". But now that we have adopted Kylie, I just feel like going and having everything else taken out since one is all we want and I am almost 37 and my DH is going to be 45. I wonder if most of my PCOS symptoms would go away if I no longer had the ovary that is evil and polycystic. LOL But your Doctor should be able to ease your fears about being able to have children with only one ovary. Good luck to you and we are always here for you!

Michele

*DannysMom* · 05-26-2005, 11:58 PM

Hi there,

I am so sorry that you have experienced this loss.

I have not lost my ovaries... but did experience the loss of my left fallopian tube following hemorhaging after an ectopic pregnancy. It was devastating.
I was grateful to be alive... but at the same time I felt such a profound loss. This came after multiple pregnancy losses... and I felt like I was on this downward spiral where my body was failing me at every turn. I truly felt like this was one more thing that made me abnormal. I gave myself time to pitty myself and my situation and then reminded myself that I needed to dust myself off and keep going.

With that said, I was particularly pissed off last week when my first IVF attempt failed. I wallowed in self pity bc I can do a great job of convincing myself that I am broken when things don't go my way.

I just wanted you to know that I grieved the loss of my tube like I grieved my lost pregnancies. I think that it is normal to feel profound sadness over such an important loss.

Hang in there... and again I am so sorry.

Karen

mackiners · 05-27-2005, 05:06 PM

Many thanks ladies for your words of encouragement. I am so glad to know that I am not being silly for feeling the way I do. Yes, I would love children (not this year), maybe next year or the year after. I'm 31 and DH is 40. He doesn't want children right now (we're only married just over a year), but has said he is happy to consider it in the future. DH is young at heart, so I'm not worried about his age being a problem - more like my age in relation to fertility!