Oophorectomy

An oophorectomy is a surgical procedure to remove one or both of your ovaries. Your ovaries are almond-shaped organs that sit on each side of the uterus in your pelvis. Your ovaries contain eggs and produce hormones that control your menstrual cycle. When an oophorectomy involves removing both ovaries, it’s called bilateral oophorectomy. When the surgery involves removing only one ovary, it’s called unilateral oophorectomy. An oophorectomy may be performed for: A tubo-ovarian abscess – a pus-filled pocket involving a fallopian tube and an ovary, Ovarian cancer, Endometriosis, Noncancerous (benign) ovarian tumors or cysts, Reducing the risk of ovarian cancer or breast cancer in those at increased risk, Ovarian torsion – the twisting of an ovary. The surgery may just remove the ovaries, or it may be a part of a hysterectomy, which is the removal of the uterus and possibly some surrounding structures. There are different reasons for an oophorectomy, including: treating abnormal tissue growth from endometriosis, lowering the risk of ectopic pregnancy, treating pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), removing ovarian cysts, abscesses, or cancerous cells in the ovaries, removing the source of estrogen, which may stimulate some cancer, such as breast cancer.