Angelina Jolie Says She Had Her Ovaries Removed
LOS ANGELES, March 24 (UPI) — Angelina Jolie has had preventive surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes, two years after her double mastectomy made headlines.
In a New York Times op-ed published Tuesday, the 39-year-old actress said she made the decision after a blood test showed what could have been signs of early cancer in her ovaries.
Jolie has the BRCA1 gene mutation, which greatly increases her risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. She has lost her mother, grandmother and aunt to the disease.
“I went through what I imagine thousands of other women have felt,” she wrote. “I told myself to stay calm, to be strong, and that I had no reason to think I wouldn’t live to see my children grow up and to meet my grandchildren.”
Though subsequent tests came back negative for cancer, Jolie decided to have surgeons remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes.
“It puts a woman into forced menopause,” Jolie said of the side effects. “So I was readying myself physically and emotionally, discussing options with doctors, researching alternative medicine, and mapping my hormones for estrogen or progesterone replacement.”
The surgery also means that Jolie won’t be able to give birth to more children.
“I feel deeply for women for whom this moment comes very early in life, before they have had their children. Their situation is far harder than mine,” she wrote.
But Jolie warned women with the BCRA1 gene not to “leap to surgery.”
“There are other options. Some women take birth control pills or rely on alternative medicines combined with frequent checks,” she said. “There is more than one way to deal with any health issue. The most important thing is to learn about the options and choose what is right for you personally.”
In a 2013 op-ed, Jolie wrote that she had a double mastectomy as a preventive measure.
“I do not feel any less of a woman,” she said at the time. “I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.”
