13 Days and Counting: My Journey to Prevent Ovarian Cancer

This week I met with my doctor for the last time before my surgery. I showed up with my husband and a very clear agenda of what I wanted to discuss. I needed to figure out -- once and for all -- what we were going to do about my cervix.

I had long thought that along with my ovaries and uterus, I would automatically take my cervix out, too. If I was going this far by having prophylactic surgery to prevent getting cancer, I might as well remove my cervix. Why stop there? I had also assumed BRCA1 affected my chances of developing cervical cancer. It made sense to take it out. But, within the last few weeks, I had heard that removing my cervix might be a mistake -- like throwing the baby out with the bath water. And ever since those rumors hit my ears, I have been anxiously struggling with the pros and cons of making this huge, irreversible decision.

There seemed to be one primary reason to keep my cervix. The cervix, I was told, leads to greater sexual satisfaction and that by taking it out, I would be decreasing my ability to enjoy sex with my husband. Fantastic. It's enough that this surgery will force me into menopause before I'm 40...but now I may be altering my ability to enjoy sex? I'm only 37! Is it too much to reduce my risk of cancer and have fun with Mark well into old age?

I panicked. And the research I was doing didn't do much to calm my growing unease. In fact, the more phone calls I made and the more Googling I did, the more nervous and upset I became. Turns out there are very few guidelines written for women like me, who have tested positive for BRCA1, and who are making these surgical decisions.

My doctor told me very clearly that removing my cervix will not impact our sex life. He even joked -- looking right at Mark -- that any man who says he could tell if a woman has a cervix (or not) is a liar. And, if I wanted to keep it, he wouldn't be able to do the surgery laporascopically as planned; he'd have to perform the surgery abdominally, the old-fashioned way. Abdominal surgery means a longer hospital stay and recovery.

The record was also set straight, by the way, on something else: BRCA1 does NOT impact a woman's chances of getting cervical cancer. My doctor told me they are not related at all. Cervical cancer is caused by a virus -- not a genetic defect.

So, after weeks of emotional distress, my final decision took me all of a few seconds to make: on Thursday, November, 29th, my cervix is also coming out. My surgery will be shorter. My recovery will be quicker. And I'll still have great sex, too.

Comments

[mmargsn]

Allison, while everyone is different, I support your decision. As a brca1 previvor(high risk but no cancer) myself, I was glad to get the ovaries out, and had the uterus and cervix out as well.

Can't really comment on the pleasure issue, but I feel that the disadvantages of open abdominal surgery outweigh any potential benefits of keeping the cervix.

Good luck.
Margaret

[Lilybart]

I believe there is a serious typo here. I think she meant to say that she is NOT taking the cervix also.

Any other decision is insane.

[langstonhughesfan]

I'm sure you've done your research and have really thought this through, but I would read the book Oprah suggested by Christine Northrup if you have not done so already, that is. It's called The Wisdom of Menopause, and in it, she discusses WHEN to keep WHAT. When I made the decision to have a hysterectomy a few years ago, I specifically wanted to keep my cervix and ovaries, since they were not the issue. My doctor, at first, sounded a lot like yours ("Let's just take it all out since I'm in there anyway, and you'll never need a Pap Smear again!...") But there really was no medical reason to do so. It meant a different strategy and one he didn't do often, but he honored my wishes. Don't let the recovery time influence your decision at all, though. Yes, abdominal surgery takes longer to heal, but a couple of things: You are very young, and the recovery time (about 6-8 weeks) is relatively short, when you consider this is a lifetime decision. And actually, while everyone is different, you are able to drive after just two weeks. My mother is scheduled for a hysterectomy on November 28th. For various reasons, she is having abdominal surgery as well, and was told she'd be able to drive 14 days later. Yes, she will still be in recovery and will need to heal for a few weeks more, but for the most part, she'll be okay in a pretty short amount of time. I just don't want you to feel pressured into yanking it all if it's unnecessary, but again, this is your choice and only you can make it. Good luck to you and take care! I hope you continue to blog about your experiences. I really want to know how you're doing.

[Kramble]

I wish there wasn't this impression of throwing the baby out with the bathwater for a quicker recovery, but risking a lifetime of diminished life experience. If your own research is inconclusive, on what basis is your surgeon *so* conclusive about the effects of removing your cervix? You need to find that out!! Please keep in mind that the more your surgeon cuts out, the more he gets paid. He doesn't get paid for preserving your health or functions, and gyno surgeons are notorious for performing "valid" but unnecessarily radical and unwarranted surgeries. That area heals very poorly because of its restricted location and you might be putting up with years of pain and hardship. There's double jeopardy because removing the cervix shortens your vagina and so activity will mean that area would get bumped into, a lot. The little game your surgeon had to do with the size of your husband's "assets" -- instead of joking around and having fun at your expense because he could see that you guys weren't getting it, he should have explained clearly. Please research this more carefully for your own sake -- this isn't an emergent situation, take a deep breath, you have time!

[LaraineNewman]

Um, wow, this is really embarrassing, but, uh, the cervix IS important for, uh, you know...
Trust me. From what you've written, it doesn't seem to impact your safety so why lose it just for the convenience of recovery? I'm telling you it IS an important part of sex. There are 2 kinds of orgasms. Cervical and clitoral. Cervical is more intense. Not that I would, uh, know anything about it...But, DON"T do it if you don't have to.