Bold decision: Angelina Jolie gets her ovaries removed
Having your ovaries removed has consequences. Not only is the procedure uncomfortable and painful, it also sets an important course for the future: From now on it is no longer possible to have children of your own.
Therefore, women usually only take this step when it is medically necessary, such as in a cancer diagnosis. Angelina Jolie wanted to forestall such a diagnosis: she had her ovaries removed to prevent cancer.
Risk factor hereditary preload
Already two years ago, Jolie made headlines with surgery: Angelina had her breasts amputated to drastically lower her breast cancer risk.
In both cases, it is not about the hysteria of a crazy Hollywood stars, but a very sober probability calculus: Angelina is genetically biased and has a very high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. "I lost my mother, grandmother, and aunt to cancer," she wrote in the New York Times about the re-intervention. "I wanted other women in the at-risk group to know what options they have."
Shocking moment: first signs of cancer?
The actress had planned the surgery for a while, but two weeks ago something happened that prompted Jolie to act: a routine blood test came back from the lab. Nothing high-drama, no cancer diagnosis - just a few values that were amazingly high, and the hint to check more closely if the first signs of a tumor are present.
"Probably no cancer" is of course still no reassuring diagnosis. "I've been through what probably thousands of other women have felt I've forced myself to stay calm, stay strong and realize that there's no reason to think that I should not live long enough, to see my children and grandchildren grow up ", Jolie describes the first moments after the finding.
"Knowledge is power"
Fortunately, the follow-up showed that there were no signs of a tumor. Jolie was determined to have her ovaries removed as soon as possible: "My doctors recommended having the operation done when I was ten years younger than my family members at their first positive diagnosis." My mother was diagnosed with cancer at age 49 I am 39. " The procedure went without complications - now it is in artificially produced menopause and is treated with hormone replacement drugs.
For Jolie, the decision was clear - but it should not be perceived as the "only right" way to deal with a genetic susceptibility to cancer. "It's not easy to make these decisions, but it's possible to take control and tackle any health problem directly," she concludes. "You can seek advice, get to know the different ways and possibilities, and then make the decisions that are best for you." Knowledge is power. "
