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By Mayo Clinic staff
During oophorectomy
During oophorectomy surgery you'll receive anesthetics to put you in a sleep-like state. You won't be aware during the procedure.
Oophorectomy can be performed two ways:
- Surgery using one large incision. During a traditional (open) oophorectomy, the surgeon makes an incision in your abdomen to access your ovaries. The surgeon separates each ovary from the blood supply and tissue that surrounds it and removes the ovary.
- Surgery using multiple small incisions. Laparoscopic surgery involves making three or four small incisions in your abdomen. The surgeon inserts a tube with a tiny camera through one incision and special surgical tools through the others. The camera transmits video to a monitor in the operating room that the surgeon uses to guide the surgical tools. Each ovary is separated from the blood supply and surrounding tissue and placed in a pouch. The pouch is pulled out of your abdomen through one of the small incisions.
Laparoscopic oophorectomy may also be robotically assisted in certain cases. During robotic surgery, the surgeon watches a 3-D monitor and uses hand controls that allow finer movement of the surgical tools.
Whether your oophorectomy is an open, laparoscopic or robotic procedure depends on your situation. Laparoscopic or robotic oophorectomy usually offers quicker recovery, less pain and a shorter hospital stay. But it isn't appropriate for everyone, and in some cases, surgery that begins as laparoscopy may need to be converted to an open procedure during the operation.
After oophorectomy
After oophorectomy you can expect to:
- Spend time in a recovery room as your anesthesia wears off
- Move to a hospital room where you may spend a few hours to a few days, depending on your procedure
- Get up and about as soon as you're able in order to help your recovery
- Schorge JO, et al. Surgeries for Benign Gynecologic Conditions. In: Schorge JO, et al. Williams Gynecology. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=514. Accessed Feb. 25, 2011.
- Mikio N, et al. Perioperative consideration in gynecologic surgery. In: DeCherney AH, et al. Current Diagnosis & Treatment Obstetrics & Gynecology. 10th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2007. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2390832. Accessed Feb. 25, 2011.
- Valea FA, et al. Oophorectomy and ovarian cystectomy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 28, 2011.
- Parker WH, et al. Effect of bilateral oophorectomy on women's long-term health. Women's Health. 2009;5:565.
- Laparoscopy and ovarian cancer: A paradigm change in the management of ovarian cancer? Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology. 2009;16:250.
- Medeiros LRF, et al. Laparoscopy versus laparotomy for benign ovarian tumour. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2010;CD004751.
- Mettler L, et al. Robotic assistance in gynecological oncology. Current Opinion in Oncology. 2008;20:581.
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