- Pain: most women will experience some pain after surgery. Pain can be controlled with medication. It’s important to tell a health professional about any pain experienced after surgery so that medication can be adjusted accordingly.
- Effects on fertility: surgery for ovarian cancer can affect a woman’s ability to have children. It’s important for women who have not yet completed their family to speak to a doctor before surgery.
- Menopausal symptoms: younger women who have both ovaries removed as part of surgery for epithelial ovarian cancer, will no longer have periods after surgery. This will lead to menopause and may result in menopausal symptoms. Women who have their uterus removed but still have one ovary will no longer have periods but will not get menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes.
- Bowel changes: a small number of women may need to have part of the bowel removed due to the spread of the cancer. Usually the bowel ends can be sewn together again but if the disease is low in the pelvis and the rectum is removed, some patients will have a stoma (an opening) made in the abdominal wall to allow for removal of bowel waste. A nurse who is specially trained in this area will be able to help women adjust to this change.
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