Opting out. (Breast Cancer).It may seem drastic, but women with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer ovarian cancer Malignant tumour of the ovaries. Risk factors include early age of first menstruation (before age 12), late onset of menopause (after age 52), absence of pregnancy, presence of specific genetic mutations, use of fertility drugs, and personal history of breast may slash their risk of developing the diseases by having their ovaries Ovaries The female sex organs that make eggs and female hormones. Mentioned in: Choriocarcinoma ovaries (ō´v and fallopian tubes Fallopian tubes The narrow ducts leading from a woman's ovaries to the uterus. After an egg is released from the ovary during ovulation, fertilization (the union of sperm and egg) normally occurs in the fallopian tubes. removed. Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City is a cancer treatment and research institution founded in 1884 as the New York Cancer Hospital. The main campus is located at 1275 York Avenue, between 67th and 68th Streets, with other locations in New in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. found that genetically at-risk women who underwent the procedure, called salpingo-oophorectomy, decreased their probability of developing cancer by 75%. Lead researcher Kenneth Offit, MD, said the preventive surgery can usually be delayed until a woman is out of her childbearing years. But Kathleen DeBold, executive director of the Mautner Project for Lesbians With Cancer, says lesbians not planning on having children could opt for the procedure earlier. She warns, however, that ovarian removal will cause the early onset of menopause, which can put women at a higher risk for heart disease and osteoporosis. "This, like any other surgery, is a highly personal decision," she said. "We want lesbians to talk to doctors, do family histories to determine risk factors, and educate themselves to find out the facts." |
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