The surgical removal of one or both ovaries is called Oophorectomy.
The Prefix "Oophor" means the ovaries and the suffix "Ectomy" comes from the root word removal.
It is done when the ovaries contain tumors or cysts or otherwise diseased.
When both ovaries are removed, the procedure is called bilateral (relating to or affecting both sides of an organ or both of a pair of organs) Oophorectomy and when only one ovary is removed it is called unilateral (relating to or affecting only one side of the body, or one side of an organ or other part) Oophorectomy.
In some cases, Oophorectomy is done by itself.
But sometimes it can be done together with the removal of the uterus which is known as a hysterectomy.
Since the Fallopian tubes share a common blood supply with the ovaries, it is often times removed together with the ovaries.
When such procedure is done, it is called salpingo-oophorectomy.
Surgery is needed for a woman having ovarian cysts or any type of cyst for that matter.
A sample will then be used for biopsy.
This is for the main purpose of confirming the diagnosis and also to know the size of the cyst if present.
Although surgery does not prevent an ovarian cyst from reoccurring, a complete removal of the ovaries must be performed.
There are many cases in which surgery of the ovaries are to be performed.
These cases include an ovarian cyst that is ruptured or twisted, severe pain or bleeding of unknown cause, enlargement of the cyst that puts pressure over the nearby organs, ovarian cancer if suspected based on the woman's risk factors, and if there is a cyst seen in the ultrasound.
The goal of surgery of the ovaries are to eliminate or completely remove the cyst that is present in the ovaries that is causing the pain and discomfort of the woman, to confirm a diagnosis of an ovarian cyst as well as to rule out possible ovarian cancer, and to relieve the woman from the pressure from the neighboring organs due to the ovaries.
A cyst larger than 3 inches can cause pressure thus the woman experiences pain.
Risks must also be evaluated during and after the surgery.
Some of the risks of ovarian surgery is pain that is hard to control, infection may develop if careful postoperative care is not being practiced, the organs such as the bowel or bladder may be damaged during the surgical procedure and the ovarian cyst may come back after the surgery.
Weighing the risks and the benefits is a very important factor to consider when planning to undergo any type of surgery.
After the surgical procedure, multiple specimens for biopsy are collected and analyzed to determine the presence or absence of residual cyst.
The less residual cyst left, the better the prognosis.