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Patient guide
Hormone Therapy After Ovary Removal: The BRCA Patient Essentials Guide
The guide calls the surgery rrBSO: removal of both ovaries and both fallopian tubes to lower cancer risk. MHT means menopausal hormone therapy: estrogen, progesterone or testosterone taken to replace what the ovaries made. This is the short version of the complete 46-page guide.
- Included in Paid
- Included in All Access
Who this is for
For women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation who have had, or are planning, surgery to remove their ovaries and fallopian tubes.
It is written for women who have not had breast cancer.
Clinician? Read the clinician version →
Opens the CHOICES newsletter on Substack: MHT for Women with BRCA1/2 Mutations and Risk Reducing BSO: The Clinician Essentials Guide.
What this guide says
The short version, taken from the guide itself.
- Before about age 51, removing the ovaries causes menopause right away. Hormone therapy is how you keep the surgery’s benefit without paying that price.
- It says estrogen on its own does not raise breast cancer risk, and that taking hormones does not undo the protection the surgery gave you.
- It gives five common situations by gene and age, and ten questions to bring to your appointment.
What it does not say
- It is not a green light to start anything. What fits depends on your gene, your age and whether you still have your uterus, and that is a conversation for your own clinician.
- On testosterone, it says it has not been studied specifically in BRCA carriers, and it does not promise protection for your breast.
One question to bring to your doctor
“What would make the next decision feel right for me?”
A short sample
“Women with BRCA1 or 2 are often given a decision about surgery and almost nothing about what comes after. This guide is for that after.”
From the public part of the Substack post that introduces the guide.
How to get it
- Included in Paid
- Included in All Access
You’ll go to the CHOICES newsletter on Substack to read and download. Paid subscribers and All Access members can open it there.
Read it on Substack →Want the full 46 pages? See The Complete BRCA1/BRCA2 Patient Guide →
Not sure which plan? Compare plans
CHOICES is educational only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or a substitute for individualized care from your own clinician. Talk with your own healthcare professionals before making treatment decisions.
CHOICES by Dr. Bosserman™
