Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Keeping your ovaries: when it is possible | CION Cancer Clinics
Sometimes, yes. Keeping the ovaries is a real option for many women with early cervical cancer and for some younger women with a low-grade, early womb cancer. It is not an option for ovarian or tube cancer, and it is rarely worth it after the menopause. This page explains when the team considers it, how they weigh your hormones against the cancer, and what to ask before you sign. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
MI
Medically reviewed by Dr. Mohammed ImaduddinConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS, MS (General Surgery), MCh (Surgical Oncology) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
17+specialists on panel
15,000+patients treated
35+centres across Telangana & AP
4.8★ / 800+Google rating
On this page
- Can the ovaries be kept during a hysterectomy for cancer?
- When keeping the ovaries is considered, and when it is not
- How the team decides whether your ovaries can stay
- Ovaries kept and ovaries removed, compared
- Four things families tell us about keeping the ovaries
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about keeping the ovaries
The short answer
Can the ovaries be kept during a hysterectomy for cancer?
Sometimes, yes. Keeping the ovaries is a real option for many women with early cervical cancer, and for some younger women with a low-grade, early womb cancer. It is not an option for ovarian or tube cancer, and it is rarely offered after the menopause, when the ovaries have little left to give.
Why anyone would want to keep them
Before the menopause the ovaries make oestrogen and other hormones. Those protect the bones and the heart, keep the vagina comfortable and steady mood and sleep. Removing both ovaries in a woman who is still having periods starts the menopause the same day, with no gradual lead-in. For a woman in her thirties or forties, that is many years of her own hormones lost.
Why the team might still say no
The ovaries are kept only when the cancer is very unlikely to involve them and unlikely to be fed by their hormones. Where either is in doubt, the cancer comes first. In some cancers the chance of leaving cancer behind is real, and the answer is no.
Keeping the ovaries does not keep your periods. Once the womb is removed there is no bleeding, whatever happens to the ovaries.Case by case
When keeping the ovaries is considered, and when it is not
These are the usual patterns. Your surgeon will tell you which one applies to you and why.
Early cervical cancer, before the menopause
The commonest situation where the ovaries are kept. Cervical cancer rarely spreads to the ovaries and is not fed by oestrogen. Many surgeons keep them as a matter of routine in younger women, and may move them out of the pelvis if radiotherapy is likely.
Early, low-grade womb cancer in a young woman
Sometimes. If the cancer is at the earliest stage, low grade and has not grown deep into the muscle, the team may keep the ovaries after discussing the risks with you. The tubes are usually still removed.
Usually needs
- A favourable biopsy and scan
- No family history pointing to Lynch syndrome
- Agreement at the tumour board
Womb cancer after the menopause, or higher grade
The ovaries are removed. After the menopause there is little hormone benefit to keeping them, and in higher-grade or more advanced womb cancer the risk of spread to the ovaries is too high to accept.
Ovarian cancer, or a strong gene risk
Not an option in ovarian or tube cancer, because that is where the cancer lives. Women with a BRCA change or Lynch syndrome are usually advised to have both tubes and ovaries removed, to prevent a second cancer.
A very early ovarian cancer in a young woman who wants children is the rare exception, and needs specialist advice.Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistBehind the decision
How the team decides whether your ovaries can stay
The biopsy and the scans
The type and grade of the cancer, and how deep it has grown, set the risk of it reaching the ovaries. The scan checks that the ovaries themselves look normal. An abnormal ovary on the scan usually ends the discussion.
Your age and your menopause
The younger you are, the more you gain from your own hormones and the stronger the case for keeping the ovaries. Past the menopause the gain is small, so the ovaries are usually removed even for a low-risk cancer.
Your family history and genes
A family pattern of womb, bowel, ovarian or breast cancer may point to Lynch syndrome or a BRCA change. If testing confirms it, the ovaries are usually removed, because the future risk of ovarian cancer outweighs the hormone benefit.
The tumour board and you
Surgeons, radiation oncologists and pathologists look at the case together. Then the surgeon tells you what they recommend, what the alternatives were, and what could still change during the operation. Your wishes are part of this.
Side by side
Ovaries kept and ovaries removed, compared
Ovaries kept
Both ovaries removed
Your own hormones continue until your natural menopause
Menopause starts straight away if you were still having periods
No periods, because the womb is gone
No periods, because the womb is gone
Bone and heart protection continue as before
Bone thinning and heart risk rise earlier; planned care helps
A small chance of ovarian cancer later, lower if the tubes are removed
That risk is removed along with the ovaries
Follow-up includes checking the ovaries
Follow-up includes managing menopause symptoms
Leave a number, we will call you
One field. No form to fill in, and no charge for the call.
Commonly believed
Four things families tell us about keeping the ovaries
"Keeping the ovaries means the surgeon is not being thorough."
The opposite. It means the surgeon has looked at your cancer type, grade and stage and judged that the ovaries are very unlikely to be involved. Removing healthy organs for no gain is not thoroughness. It is a cost with no benefit.
"If she keeps her ovaries, she could still get pregnant."
No. Pregnancy needs a womb, and the womb has been removed. The ovaries still release eggs, but there is nowhere for a pregnancy to grow. If having a child matters, that conversation has to happen before surgery, about fertility-sparing options or egg freezing.
"The ovaries will stop working anyway once the womb is gone."
Mostly not. The ovaries have their own blood supply and usually carry on. Some women reach the menopause a little earlier than they otherwise would have, because part of the blood flow to the ovaries runs past the womb.
"We should ask the surgeon to take them out to be safe, whatever the cancer."
Safe depends on the cancer. For an early cervical cancer in a woman of thirty-five, removing the ovaries adds no protection against that cancer and takes away years of her own hormones. Ask what the ovaries add to the risk in your case.
Did you know
If radiotherapy to the pelvis is likely after surgery, the surgeon can stitch the kept ovaries higher up in the tummy, out of the treatment area. This is called ovarian transposition. It does not always protect them fully.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
This page cannot tell you whether you can keep your ovaries. That answer sits in your biopsy report, your scans, your age and your family history, and it is made by your surgical oncologist with the tumour board.
The honest trade-off
Keeping the ovaries means accepting a small chance that cancer is or will be in them, in return for your own hormones. Removing them means accepting an early menopause in return for removing that chance. Neither is wrong. Which fits you depends on how big each chance is in your case, and only your team can judge that.
What to ask
Ask whether keeping the ovaries is an option for your cancer. Ask what the risk of cancer in the ovaries would be if they stayed. Ask whether the tubes would still be removed. Ask what happens if the surgeon sees something unexpected during the operation, and what you are agreeing to on the form in that case. If radiotherapy may follow, ask about moving the ovaries. If you are young, ask about egg freezing before surgery.
Bring the family member who will help you decide. This conversation is easier with two people listening.Questions we are asked
Common questions about keeping the ovaries
I am forty-two with early cervical cancer. Can I keep my ovaries?
Very often, yes. Cervical cancer rarely spreads to the ovaries and is not driven by oestrogen, so many surgeons keep them in women before the menopause. Ask your surgeon directly, and ask whether the ovaries should be moved higher if radiotherapy might follow. The final answer depends on your stage and scans.
Why are the tubes removed even when the ovaries are kept?
Because many ovarian cancers are now thought to begin in the fallopian tubes, and the tubes do nothing useful once the womb is gone. Removing them lowers the chance of a future cancer without touching the hormones, which come from the ovaries. It is a small extra step in the same operation.
Will my kept ovaries still work normally?
Usually, yes. They keep their own blood supply and carry on making hormones. Some women reach the menopause a little earlier than they otherwise would have, because some of the blood flow to the ovaries used to pass near the womb. If hot flushes start after surgery, tell your team.
If I keep them, how will the ovaries be checked afterwards?
At follow-up visits your doctor examines you and asks about symptoms, and may arrange an ultrasound scan of the pelvis if anything needs a closer look. There is no routine blood test that reliably screens for ovarian cancer. Report any new bloating, pelvic pain or change in bowel habit between visits.
Can I change my mind and have them removed later?
Yes. Removing the ovaries later is a smaller keyhole operation, and some women choose it when they reach the menopause or if genetic testing later shows a raised risk. Putting ovaries back is not possible, which is why the decision to remove them is the one to think harder about.
My surgeon says no. Should I get a second opinion?
You are always entitled to one, and a good surgeon will not mind. Ask first for the reason; it is usually the cancer type, grade or a family history. If the reasoning is clear and the tumour board agreed, a second opinion will most likely say the same.
Does keeping the ovaries change the cost of the operation?
Barely. What changes cost is the route, lymph node removal and length of stay. Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS and EHS are accepted, and most cashless insurers are empanelled, so call the helpline with your card details for an estimate on your cover.
What if the surgeon finds something on the ovary during the operation?
The surgeon may send a piece for a quick examination while you are still asleep, and remove the ovary if it looks involved. The consent form should say what you have agreed to if that happens. Ask about this before the day, so nothing about the decision is a surprise when you wake up.
Meet the Specialists
17+ senior cancer specialists. One panel for your case.
Trained at AIIMS, Tata Memorial, and leading international centres. Combined 150+ years of experience. Every complex case is reviewed by 3+ of them — together.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vinay Mamidala
MBBS, MS(General Surgery), M.Ch(Surgical Oncology), FMAS, FARIS(Ongoing)
Surgical Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Hematologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vajja Sandeep Kumar
MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Surgical Oncology), FALS Oncology
Surgical Oncologist
Want a specific doctor for your case? Mention them when booking.
Book Free ConsultationBook an appointment with our specialist
Share your name and number — we'll call you back within 30 minutes to schedule your consultation.
Sources
- NHS — Hysterectomy
- Cancer Research UK — Surgery for cervical cancer
- Cancer Research UK — Surgery for womb cancer
- National Cancer Institute — Endometrial Cancer Treatment (PDQ) Patient Version
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Hysterectomy
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Are the Ovaries Removed With the Uterus?What usually happens, cancer by cancerHormones after hysterectomyWhat a surgical menopause means if the ovaries do goHysterectomy in young womenFertility, egg freezing and the questions to ask earlyDeciding on Cancer SurgeryHow to weigh a recommendation and ask for a second opinionHysterectomy for CancerEvery page in this guide
Talk to us
Want to know whether keeping your ovaries is an option?
Send us the biopsy report and your age, or call the helpline. A surgical oncologist will tell you what the team would weigh in your case and what to ask. One helpline serves every CION centre.