Please help my friend keep her ovaries (re. post-menopausal cysts)

[GoodDayToYou]

Hi everyone! As you will have gathered, I'm posting on behalf of a friend and would appreciate any helpful advice or recommendations to enable her to keep her ovaries.

Long story short: She's been hospitalised recently, in agony, due to ovarian torsion. Consequently, the doctors want to remove both her ovaries due to cysts. She's open to surgery but wants to keep her ovaries. One reason for this is that they are part of the endocrine system and their removal significantly increases the chance of death by heart disease, which is in her family; ovarian cancer isn't. (She has a very low cancer risk.) They seem to ignore this, as though a woman couldn't possibly want or need her ovaries for anything other than baby making! (She's passed that time of life now.)

Can anyone recommend a good gynaecologist who would be prepared to perform a cystectomy on a post-menopausal woman and not insist on removing her ovaries 'just in case'? Many thanks.

How old is she and how many years post meno? I think she will find it difficult to get an NHS gynae to agree, they seem to think they are doing you a favour removing it all.

Yes, she has been having difficulty finding someone. I don't have specifics but I think she's early 60s.

Castor oil packs for ovarian cysts...wonderful stuff.

Oo, thanks Shew! So, how do you do that?

There are plenty of gynaecologists - privately- who could help but can she pay if it was private?

You aren't quite right about the science on this. Yes the ovaries carry on working after menopause but only very slightly and she could use HRT which would replace them. She isn't at greater risk of heart disease post menopause without ovaries any more than any woman is post menopause.

Hi Polly. My friend is quite confident re her medical stats. Do you have any references I can pass onto her?

Yes, she can go privately - just needs a recommendation. (I believe she has seen one who wouldn't do it.)

Not sure what you mean by medical stats- research?

My understanding is that as women's risk of heart disease rises post menopause (no oestrogen produced, or rather very very little) having the ovaries removed at this stage poses no added risk.

If her ovaries are in a very poor state it may not be possible to remove multiple cysts. I don't know.

If they were removed, and she had symptoms, the answer would be to use HRT to replace the oestrogen.

I don't want to name names here but I suggest that you study the websites of two top London hospitals - Lister , Chelsea and King Edward 7 (where the Queen goes) look at the gynaes listed there, read their specialisms and see if there is someone she fancies seeing.

ps At the King Edward you will find most gynaes listed under 'fertility' specialism.

Brilliant! Thanks Polly. Much appreciated.

You will need...castor oil...organic...unbleached cotton i use a flannel...cling film...towel...heat pad or hot water bottle. Get comfy. Warm castor oil in pan and soak flannel or cloth. Place over ovaries...i would cover whole of lower abdo. Apply cling film and towel and pop on top heat and another towel. Reat for about 40 mins up to hour or longer. Do this for 3 days. Can keep flannel with oil wrapped in film and heat slowly in pan on subsequent packings adding a little more oil to the flannel. It is soooo relaxing. Would also keep well away from any soy products and eat as clean a diet as possible.

Oh FGS shewolf you don't really believe that nonsense?

I like a bit of woo but you cannot cure ovarian cysts with castor oil and cling film

Have you tried it coco? My doctor was amazed at what it cured for me.

No, none of the Drs, nurses, or consultants mentioned it.

Shewolf how does the castor oil even get through the top couple layers of skin, let alone all the way to to the ovaries!?

I've never had such a good giggle for ages! I assume the only thing that oil and clingfilm might do, is ease some pain if the cysts cause discomfort.

Shew, I'm very grateful and certainly wouldn't rule anything out. Thank you.

That's good and the others had laughter therapy out of it so everyone is a winner!