To lower your risk of ovarian cancer, you can have surgery. The standard surgery is: removal of the fallopian tubes at the same time as the ovaries. This surgery is recommended by doctors internationally. In addition to this standard operation, we are now investigating another surgery: first only removing the fallopian tubes and later also the ovaries. With this, menopause can be postponed. Both surgeries lead to definitive contraception (sterilization). Therefore, it is important that you no longer wish to have children.
You choose which operation you want. You can also choose not to have surgery. If you choose not to have surgery, you have about a 35-45% chance of developing ovarian cancer in your lifetime. As out of 100 women with a BRCA1 mutation, between 35 and 45 will get ovarian cancer. Therefore, we strongly advise you to undergo surgery. If you are not yet 35 years old, you can choose to wait with surgery. The choice not to have surgery is not discussed further in this decision aid.
If you click ‘next’, you can read what the different surgeries entail.