20 Questions to ask your Gynecologist Surgeon

18 Aug 2021

It can be challenging to understand the significance of surgery for breast and ovarian cancer, so the best place to start is by speaking to your Gynecologist Surgeon about the process. Here are our suggestions for what topics to discuss; it can also be helpful to record the answers so you can listen to them again at a later date.

 

  1. What are the positives and negatives of having a preventative oophorectomy?
  2. After I have had a preventative surgery, what will the risk of ovarian cancer be?
  3. What are the surgery choices?
  4. Which surgery would you recommend for me?
  5. What does the surgery involve?
  6. What kind of complications can arise with this type of surgery?
  7. Do you test the ovary tissue for cancerous/abnormal cells?
  8. How long have you been performing these surgeries?
  9. How many visits will I have with you and what are the costs involved?
  10. What kind of anaesthesia will I have?
  11. How long does the surgery take?
  12. How long will I stay in hospital?
  13. What is the recovery time?
  14. When should I start physiotherapy, exercising and going back to work?
  15. Will there be any drains and how long will they be in?
  16. Will there be any sutures to remove after surgery?
  17. What is a normal recovery in terms of pain?
  18. How long will I be experiencing pain after the procedure?
  19. Will there be any scars and if so, what can I do to minimize the scaring after surgery?
  20. Am I able to take HRT to manage surgical menopause? If not, what are my options?

 

To understand more about these procedures and how they may affect you, read personal stories from the Pink Hope community here.