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    Angelina Jolie has her ovaries removed

    Updated:5 May 2016 10:33 AM | Posted by
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    Beth E
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    Angelina Jolie had a preventative double mastectomy back in 2013, and now, she’s revealed she’s had surgery to remove her ovaries.

    In the New York Times, the actress published an article titled ‘Angelia Jolie Pitt: Diary of a Surgery’, wherein she explains her brave decision – and what it means for her future.

    Angelina lost her mother, aunt and grandmother to cancer, and carries a gene mutation that puts her at an estimated 87% risk of breast cancer and 50% risk of ovarian cancer.

    While the double mastectomy reduced the risk of her getting the former, she recently found out her risk of early ovarian cancer had increased.

    Writing candidly of her fear, she says: "I went through what I imagine thousands of other women have felt. I told myself to stay calm, to be strong, and that I had no reason to think I wouldn't live to see my children grow up and to meet my grandchildren.”
     

    While her following PET/CT scan came out clear, the actress took the advice of several doctors and decided to have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed to be on the safe side.

    Angelina’s doctors indicated she’d need to have the surgery a decade before reaching the age of the earliest onset of cancer in her relatives. With her mother’s diagnoses happening at 49, the 39-year-old understandably opted to have it right away.

    But while the actress felt the surgery was the right decision for her, she’s urged other women to learn about all the options available when making their own decisions.

    "I did not do this solely because I carry the BRCA1 gene mutation, and I want other women to hear this. A positive BRCA test does not mean a leap to surgery. I have spoken to many doctors, surgeons and naturopaths. There are other options.

    "Some women take birth control pills or rely on alternative medicines combined with frequent checks. There is more than one way to deal with any health issue. The most important thing is to learn about the options and choose what is right for you personally."

    Well said, Angelina. bh wishes you well!

    Have you or anyone you know experienced ovarian cancer? What do you think of Angelina’s big decision?

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    68 Member Comments

    BeautifulJusty 13 Jul 2017 6:46 AM

    A massive decision to make

    blackkittykat 21 Sep 2016 5:18 PM

    She is very strong indeed! Better to be safe than sorry, but gee it would be hard. I used to work in a cancer diagnosis laboratory and yes, the work poured in; there was certainly the 'Angelina effect'. She has done a lot to raise cancer awareness in women whose families have genetic predispositions and the population in general.

    lynx 5 Nov 2015 1:59 PM

    Gosh this woman is such a strong lady, I think she is a great inspiration to other women.

    bonnyanne 6 Apr 2015 2:27 AM

    I feel sorry for her, but at the same time, she's a brave and inspiring woman.

    lady of beauty 3 Apr 2015 7:50 PM

    So glad she has openly talked about this .she is helping so many weman. Very strong lady .

    VivaliciousChic 31 Mar 2015 11:42 AM

    That is a huge decision to do!

    Ashlee 849 31 Mar 2015 5:20 AM

    She is so inspiring

    Temporary Princess 30 Mar 2015 11:01 AM

    That's one hell of a brave woman.

    Emily993 30 Mar 2015 10:13 AM

    she is brave. all the best to her and her family

    happyasrain 30 Mar 2015 4:19 AM

    This just doubled the amount of respect I have for her.

    Louise29 29 Mar 2015 10:03 AM

    A brave thing to do - I hope this brings more awareness to the issue.

    Redrobyn 28 Mar 2015 11:54 AM

    Probably the most famous woman on the planet at the moment bringing awareness to such a serious cause. Congratulations Angelina & well done! What an amazing woman.

    ya_mia 28 Mar 2015 9:36 AM

    Good on her! I'm pretty sure she did a lot of research before doing the surgery. I say do whatever you think is right for you!

    Platinum Ms 28 Mar 2015 6:23 AM

    I also think Ange is very Intune with her body and knows what's best for herself and family.

    Platinum Ms 28 Mar 2015 6:21 AM

    I have known man to remove their prostate as there was history of that particular gene so why not women! Good on you Jolie its not nice but you have a lot of support

    Beautybabe140194 28 Mar 2015 2:39 AM

    Good on her. Brave choice.

    Scray Scray 27 Mar 2015 1:18 PM

    What a hard decision to face =(

    Diann 27 Mar 2015 5:31 AM

    Good on her, this option should be given to a lot more people. The surgeons now are very advanced and it is very save :)

    Karla586 27 Mar 2015 4:38 AM

    She's an amazing woman! It's great to see someone as well known as her raise awareness to issues that women face and to be so open and honest about her experiences.

    Jenniqua 27 Mar 2015 4:28 AM

    She has so many children to think about and I am sure it was an informed decision.

    Themummabear 27 Mar 2015 4:01 AM

    I must commend Angelina Joliet on this brave decision and her willingness to share it with the world. I'm not sure if this testing and surgery would be covered under Medicare but I do believe that for those at risk, it needs to be funded. Obviously not everyone would make the same choices but it would be great to have the option. Increasingly and sadly, top quality health care is only for the rich.

    freaky 27 Mar 2015 12:50 AM

    Its so great for her to share such personal info with the world. Shes an excellant role model

    Jessica712 26 Mar 2015 11:58 PM

    Very brace and strong. I commend her for being open about it and raising awareness as well.

    clearcrystalwater 26 Mar 2015 10:43 PM

    It's a wise decision for her - she was lucky was able to identify her gene mutation. Everyone isn't perfect genetically so we all carry some sort of gene mutation but some are worse and more obvious then others. It's obviously a safe decision to remove a problem area of our lives if we know about it. Unfortunately most people don't get to know their personal weakness before it's too late.

    jatz 26 Mar 2015 10:22 AM

    She is so brave and I wish her well. I guess if I was in her position, I also would go down that track.

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