39-year-old Angelina Jolie had her ovaries removed
Two weeks ago, in Angelina Jolie's Los Angeles mansion, a phone call rang, which she, like every woman, was afraid to ever hear. The gynecological surgeon who received the test results (Angie takes them every month) suggested that she had an early stage of ovarian cancer.
“I kept telling myself that I was going through the same thing as thousands, hundreds of thousands of women around the world,” Jolie admitted in her essay “Operation Diary” for the American newspaper The New York Times. — I calmed myself down. I knew there was no reason to panic yet. I called Brad, and he flew to me a few hours later - holding hands, we arrived at the clinic.”
Angelina told fans that, thank God, there was no cancerous tumor in her ovaries (note Woman.ru: a tumor discovered by doctors on one of Jolie’s ovaries turned out to be benign). However, the risk of a malignant tumor still remained, so the actress, without hesitation, went under the knife. Angie decided not to have her uterus removed because there was no history of cancer in that organ in her family.
“Before the operation, I remembered my mother, grandmother and aunt, who died of cancer, and burst into tears. “I felt their presence next to me again,” Angie continued. “But in all this horror there were also wonderful moments - I knew exactly what should be done, and did not doubt the decision at all. However, if it weren’t for my family, husband and children, I would have broken down. After all, I was going to undergo surgery this year, but later. I didn't even suspect that this would happen so soon. I was scared".
According to Angelina Jolie in an interview with the American magazine Entertainment Weekly, she was first scheduled for surgery to remove the ovaries and fallopian tubes in 2014. Before Angie's double mastectomy a year earlier, doctors told the actress that she had an 87 percent chance of developing breast cancer and a 50 percent chance of developing ovarian cancer (disappointing prognoses were due to the fact that the actress had inherited the BRCA1 gene from her mother). But in the summer of 2014, Angelina had just finished filming her directorial project “Unbroken” and was traveling around the world presenting the film - there was no time left for surgery.
According to rumors, before the fateful phone call from the Los Angeles clinic, Angie found another good reason to postpone going to the surgeon - motherhood. The actress and her husband Brad Pitt wanted to adopt another baby, from Syria or Kenya. According to the American magazine The National Enquirer, Angelina decided that she would postpone the procedures preceding the operation to remove the ovaries for several months in order to be close to her newfound family member.
“Now I will never be able to give birth to a child on my own. Moreover, at the age of 39 I entered menopause. However, I understand and already now accept the rapid changes in my body, not at all because I am strong, but because such is life, you should not be afraid of it,” Jolie admitted in the same essay. “I wear a special patch that releases estrogen as well as a progesterone coil into the uterus to help maintain hormonal balance.”
At the same time, Angelina said, she still remains at risk of developing cancer. The actress reassured fans by saying that she constantly calls doctors and is looking for the most natural ways to strengthen the immune system: “Despite the removed mammary glands and ovaries, I am still a woman. I am aware of the choice I made. The main thing is that I know that my children will never say: “Mom died of ovarian cancer.”
“I will no longer be able to have children”: Angelina Jolie had her ovaries removed
Last May, Angelina Jolie shocked the public by telling the world about her double mastectomy, which she decided to undergo to prevent cancer. Today it became known that the actress underwent another serious operation - removal of the ovaries.
I won't be able to have children anymore. And in the future I expect some physical changes.
I removed the fallopian tubes and ovaries, but left the uterus, since none of my relatives suffered from diseases of this organ,
— the celebrity said last day in a frank interview with The New York Times.
According to Jolie, the results of a test to detect the activity of cancer cells, which she underwent not so long ago, were not the most reassuring, which prompted the star to make such an important decision.
I went through what thousands of other women have experienced. I gave myself an instruction - to remain calm, be strong, and also not to think that I would not be able to live until the moment when my children grew up and gave birth to grandchildren.
— shared the star, who also noted in her letter that the operation, alas, is not able to solve all the problems:
It is impossible to eliminate all risk, and the fact is that I remain prone to cancer. I will look for natural ways to strengthen my immune system,
Jolie also said that this operation is less complex compared to a mastectomy, but its consequences are more serious as women begin menopause:
Regardless of the hormone replacement therapy I am taking, I am now in menopause.
Angelina Jolie
Let us remind you that it became known about two weeks ago that Jolie was going to go under the surgeon’s knife again. Then, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, she said that she was preparing for another operation, which should reduce the risk of developing cancer.
I have another surgery that I haven't had yet. I will be consulting with all the wonderful people I've already talked to about how best to get through the next phase. I'm lucky to have such wonderful doctors, and of course I'm very lucky to have recovered well from my first surgery. I was lucky that I had a project like “Unbroken” that I could concentrate on, something for which it was worth getting well soon and returning to work. According to the actress, she is happy that she did not give up at the last moment and made a decision about the operation:
I was very touched by the support and kindness I received from so many people,
— said Angelina, noting that she quite often communicates with people facing the same problem in order to support them.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie had her ovaries removed to prevent cancer
3 minutes
Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed due to the risk of cancer. She reported this in her column in The New York Times.
A few weeks ago, an analysis revealed a number of markers in Jolie that could indicate an early stage of the disease. No malignant tumors were found, but the actress decided to prevent the development of cancer in the future.
According to Jolie, the operation is simple, but leads to serious consequences. “I will no longer be able to have children and expect changes to happen to my body,” Jolie wrote. She also noted that she will be looking for natural ways to strengthen her immune system.
Angelina Jolie had a preventative mastectomy
Famous film actress Angelina Jolie underwent a preventive mastectomy to reduce the risk of breast cancer. // MedNews ↣
In May 2013, the actress had to undergo a mastectomy of both breasts (implants were installed instead of the removed mammary glands), since she is a carrier of the BRCA1 gene, which causes breast cancer in 87% of cases and ovarian cancer in 50% of cases. In the past, Jolie's mother, aunt and grandmother died from cancer of the mammary glands and genital area.
The actress drew the attention of readers that her case is not an example for all women: there are many different options depending on individual situations.
Angelina Jolie had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed due to cancer risk
Global Look Press
Angelina Jolie said she underwent surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes due to her high risk of developing ovarian cancer Global Look Press
Angelina Jolie announced that she underwent surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes due to a high risk of developing ovarian cancer. The actress herself wrote about this in her column in The New York Times, published on Tuesday, March 24. Translation of the material is offered by InoPressa.
As Jolie writes, she prepared for this operation in advance, but believed that she still had sufficient time ahead. Two weeks ago, doctors told her that one of the tests she regularly does showed markers indicating inflammation. The doctor advised her to immediately schedule an appointment with a surgeon to have her ovaries checked.
That same day, Jolie went to meet the doctor who treated her mother and whom she last saw on the day of her death from the same diagnosis. “The doctor said that I looked a lot like my mother, and then I burst into tears,” Jolie writes.
The examination and ultrasound examination did not reveal anything suspicious, which allowed the actress to breathe a sigh of relief: this meant that, if there was a tumor, it was in the very early stages. She spent the next five days awaiting the results of the CT scan in a daze, going about her daily activities with her children.
The results were clear, but there was still a small chance that there was still a tumor. “Fortunately, I still had the option of having my ovaries and tubes removed preventatively and decided to do so,” Jolie writes.
She emphasizes that she did this not only because of the presence of a mutation in the BRCA1 gene, which increases the risk of developing cancer - in this case, there are other strategies to prevent the disease. However, in her case, both traditional medicine and adherents of Eastern healing practices recommended surgery, since three close relatives of the actress died from cancer: her mother, aunt and grandmother.
“Doctors warned that in my case, preventative surgery should be done about ten years before reaching the earliest age at which the tumor was diagnosed in my relatives,” explains Jolie. — My mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 49. I'm 39″.
Laparoscopic surgery to remove the ovaries and appendages took place last week. Postoperative examination showed that a benign tumor had formed on one of the ovaries, but did not reveal the presence of malignant cells. After the intervention, the actress began wearing a hormonal patch and an intraatomic device, which should compensate for the lack of hormones: the operation that Jolie underwent means a premature onset of menopause.
The actress emphasizes that surgery, like the removal of the mammary glands two years ago, does not prevent her from feeling like a full-fledged woman. “I know my children will never have to say the words, ‘My mom died of ovarian cancer,’” the actress says.
Despite hormone replacement therapy, the actress is preparing for changes in her body due to early menopause. “I will no longer be able to have children, my body will change too,” she writes. However, Jolie emphasizes that this is not something to be afraid of, it is just part of life.
“Making such decisions is not easy. But there is an opportunity to take control of events and solve emerging problems. You can contact specialists, find out about possible options and choose what is right for you,” says Jolie. “Knowledge is power,” sums up the actress.
Let us remember that two years ago Angelina Jolie underwent surgery to remove the mammary glands - a bilateral mastectomy, which she also wrote about in the New York Times. According to the actress, she decided to write about the operation she underwent, which is the most difficult test for any woman, in order to help other women who find themselves in a similar situation. In particular, Jolie noted that after a mastectomy, the chance of developing breast cancer decreased to 5%.
Angelina Jolie had her ovaries removed due to cancer risk
USA News. On the pages of The New York Times, the 39-year-old Hollywood actress spoke about having her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed. Angelina Jolie admitted that this decision was not easy for her, but it was necessary to reduce the likelihood of a mutation in the BRAC1 gene that was previously identified in her, which provokes the development of cancer. Angelina Jolie, actress, director: I promised to keep the public informed of my struggle, providing any useful information. This includes preventive surgery - removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes. This is not as serious an operation as removal of the mammary glands, but its consequences are more severe. After it, I can’t have children. I went through what thousands of other women have experienced. I gave myself the attitude of staying calm, being strong, and not thinking about the fact that I wouldn’t be able to live until the moment when my children grew up and gave birth to grandchildren. It is impossible to eliminate all risk, and the fact is that I remain prone to cancer. I will be looking for natural ways to boost my immune system. Regardless of the hormone replacement therapy I am on, I am now in menopause.
The actress was prompted to take drastic measures by a test to detect the activity of cancer cells. The result was disappointing.
The threat of cancer is a family problem for Jolie. Her mother, grandmother and aunt died of cancer.
In 2013, Jolie made public the details of another operation - removal of the mammary glands. The procedure reduced the risk of developing cancer from 87% to 5%. The example of the Hollywood actress has had a huge influence on many women around the world. Social networks were full of messages: someone condemned the actress for allegedly using personal grief as an excuse for PR, someone tirelessly repeated words of gratitude to the actress. Be that as it may, the actress’s courageous act and bold public statement attracted public attention to the fight against breast cancer. Read more here.
Let us remind you that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are raising seven children, four of whom are adopted. The couple adopted their last child in February 2020.
Angelina Jolie, Hollywood actress: Life constantly presents us with difficult tasks. The ones that don't scare us are the ones that we can take personal control of.
Angelina Jolie still tops all kinds of beauty ratings. She is one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood. Her publication never goes without attention from the press. Her style, manners, and makeup are copied by hundreds of girls and women around the world. Just a month ago she was recognized as the most adored, beloved and respected woman on Earth. The survey, presented by the YouGov website, involved 25 thousand people living in 23 countries on different continents.
Angelina Jolie had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed due to cancer concerns
Events
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March 24, 2015
Today the news spread around the world that Angelina Jolie
had surgery to remove the ovaries and fallopian tubes.
The actress and director , who had a preventive mastectomy in 2013, wrote an article in the New York Times , where she recounted the terrible moment when her doctor called her with the message that an annual examination for cancer markers showed some inflammatory elements that could be the first signal of incipient ovarian cancer.
“I went through everything that thousands of women have already felt,” writes the mother of six children. “I told myself to stay calm, to be strong, that I had no reason to think that I wouldn’t live to see all my six children grow up and see my grandchildren.”
“I called my husband in France, who flew to me a few hours later. There is something beautiful about such moments in life - and it is complete clarity. You know why you live and what is really important to you. It puts everything in its place and is very calming.”
That same day, Angelina visited her mother's surgeon, Marcheline Bertrand (she died of ovarian cancer in 2007). The initial examination looked promising, but Brad Pitt's wife was asked to wait five days for the full results of the examination.
“I spent these five days in some kind of oblivion. I went to football games with my children and worked to stay calm and confident,” she writes. “And then came day X. The PET-CT scan looked clear, but the tumor test came back negative. I was just happy, although I still couldn’t hug my children because of the radioactive tracer (used for diagnostics). There was still the possibility of early stage cancer, but it was minor compared to the development of the tumor. To my relief, I still had the option of having my ovaries and fallopian tubes removed, so I decided to do it,” explains the actress.
Jolie also notes that her decision to undergo surgery was dictated not only by the carriage of the mutated BRCA1 gene, and advises other women in a similar situation to look for existing alternatives, and not “go under the knife” right away.
However, for 39-year-old Angelina, the medical decision was unanimous, and the operation (bilateral laparoscopic salpingo-oophorectomy) was performed last week. After the operation, surgeons discovered a small benign tumor on one of the ovaries, but no oncology.
Despite preserving the uterus and hormone therapy, Jolie entered menopause. “I will no longer be able to have children, and perhaps some physiological changes will begin now,” she explains. “But I’m so relieved to think about all the things that could happen; not because I'm strong, but simply because it's all part of life. There is absolutely nothing to be afraid of.”
Knowing that her example could serve as a guide for other women in similar situations, the Maleficent star explains that there are other alternatives for younger women, especially those who don't yet have children. “Their situation is much more complicated than mine,” she admits, adding that there are surgical procedures to save the ovaries.
“Making such decisions is not easy,” the actress concludes. “However, you can take control, explore your options and make the right choices. Knowledge is power".
