This information applies to any surgery.
Outpatient procedure
The surgery is usually done in an outpatient procedure. This means that you come to the hospital in the morning, have surgery and go home at the end of the day. If necessary, you can stay in the hospital overnight after surgery.
Keyhole surgery
The operation is normally keyhole surgery (laparoscopic). This means that through 3 or 4 small incisions in the abdomen the fallopian tubes and/or ovaries are removed. Usually, people who are otherwise healthy are back to normal activities within 2 weeks after surgery. Sometimes, the surgery is not possible through keyhole surgery. Then a larger incision must be made in the abdomen. The recovery takes longer: about 2 to 6 weeks.
Tissue examination
All tissue that is removed will be examined to see if there are any abnormalities. If precursor cells of ovarian cancer are found in the fallopian tubes, we recommend immediate removal of the ovaries. This is so that we can then examine the ovaries as well.
Age for surgery:
- Removal of fallopian tubes and ovaries at the same time: between the ages of 35 and 40 years
- Remove fallopian tubes first and remove ovaries later:
o Remove fallopian tubes: between the ages of 25 and 40 years, if there is no longer a desire to have children
o Remove ovaries: between the ages of 35 and 45 years