Surgery
Do my ovaries need to be removed?
The short answer
In many cases, your ovaries do not need to be removed. Preserving them can help avoid immediate surgical menopause, especially before menopause. Removal is an individualized decision based on specific reasons, such as significant ovarian disease or certain risk factors.
In many cases, ovaries do not have to be removed. Preserving the ovaries, especially for premenopausal patients, can help you avoid immediate surgical menopause and its abrupt hormone changes.
We typically discuss ovary removal only when there’s a specific reason, such as significant ovarian disease, certain risk factors, or a clinical picture in which removal is expected to meaningfully improve symptoms. It’s a highly individualized decision that balances potential symptom relief against the long-term effects menopause can have on bone, cardiovascular, brain, and sexual health. If you’re considering hysterectomy for adenomyosis, our team can review your history, imaging, and goals with you and help you choose the option that best fits your situation.
Where to go from here
Understand it, compare it with what you're feeling, then talk it through with us.
Understand
Understand the condition
Compare
Symptoms it can relate to
Speak with Us
Worried About Ovary Removal?
Our specialists will guide you to the best surgical choices tailored to your health and symptoms. We focus on preserving ovaries whenever safely possible to protect your long-term well-being.
Questions people ask next
All surgery questionsHysterectomy for adenomyosis: keep ovaries or remove?
Keeping healthy ovaries often makes sense during hysterectomy for adenomyosis if you’re not at elevated risk for ovarian cancer. Removing them triggers immediate surgical menopause, and coexisting endometriosis can make the decision more complex.
Does an ovarian cystectomy remove the ovary?
Usually not: an ovarian cystectomy aims to remove the cyst wall and preserve the ovary. In a small number of cases, the plan can change if the ovary is severely damaged, blood flow is significantly compromised, or findings raise concern for something other than a benign cyst.
Can endometriosis surgery trigger early menopause?
Endometriosis excision surgery does not inherently cause early menopause, which is driven by loss of ovarian function. The biggest risk is when an ovary must be removed or ovarian tissue or blood supply is significantly compromised during complex ovarian surgery.
Does endometrioma removal or excision surgery reduce cancer risk?
Removing an endometrioma or excising endometriosis can remove tissue where atypical changes could rarely develop, but surgery is not typically done primarily to prevent cancer. The link with cancer is complex, and the absolute risk for most patients remains low.
Further reading
Managing Menopause With Endometriosis and HRT
How to use HRT safely with endometriosis: recurrence and malignancy risks, when to start after surgical menopause, and hormone vs non-hormone treatment options.
Early Menopause and Endometriosis: What the Research Shows
How endometriosis may be linked to earlier menopause: key evidence, contributing factors, care implications, and practical coping strategies.
Endometriosis After Menopause: What You Need to Know
Learn how endometriosis can persist after menopause. Discover symptoms, challenges, and essential research insights for better pain management.
