Two years after she underwent a double mastectomy to cut her cancer risk, actress and U.S. envoy Angelina Jolie has had surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes for the same reason.
Jolie, 39, carries a mutation of the BRCA1 gene, which sharply increases her risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Her mother was diagnosed with the latter at age 49 and died seven years later.
Jolie stresses that not all women with the same BRCA1 gene mutation as she has should feel they must automatically leap to surgery — but urges them to explore their options and take control.
Her family history — she lost her grandmother and aunt to cancer, as well as her mother — combined with the gene mutation meant that in her case, the removal of her ovaries and fallopian tubes seemed the best course.
While not as complex as the mastectomy surgery, its effects are more severe, Jolie said, since it puts a woman into forced menopause. She must now take estrogen and progesterone in order to keep a hormonal balance.
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