America
Jolie removes ovaries, fallopian tubes over cancer fear
Actress Angelina Jolie has undergone surgery to remove her ovaries and
fallopian tubes to avoid getting cancer. She daringly underwent a double
mastectomy two years ago followed by reconstructive surgery.
The
39-year-old said that her mother Marcheline Bertrand died when she was
49 and wanted to take the action now. Her operation now has put her into
forced menopause, reports mirror.co.uk.
The mother of six said
that she had been planning the preventative surgery for a while but two
weeks ago she was told by her doctor that there were a "number of
inflammatory markers that are elevated".
The doctor also said that it could be a sign of early cancer.
Hence
after calling actor-husband Brad Pitt, who was in France at the time,
she got the diagnosis and underwent the procedure called laparoscopic
bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy.
Jolie said she took the heart-wrenching decision so she "could see her grandchildren grow up".
Writing
in the New York Times magazine, Jolie said: " 'Your CA-125 is normal,'
he said. I breathed a sigh of relief. That test measures the amount of
the protein CA-125 in the blood, and is used to monitor ovarian cancer. I
have it every year because of my family history."
"But that
wasn’t all. He went on. 'There are a number of inflammatory markers that
are elevated, and taken together they could be a sign of early cancer.'
I took a pause. 'CA-125 has a 50 to 75 percent chance of missing
ovarian cancer at early stages,' he said."
"He wanted me to see
the surgeon immediately to check my ovaries. I went through what I
imagine thousands of other women have felt. 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."
"I called my
husband in France, who was on a plane within hours. The beautiful thing
about such moments in life is that there is so much clarity. You know
what you live for and what matters. It is polarizing, and it is
peaceful."
"That same day I went to see the surgeon, who had
treated my mother. I last saw her the day my mother passed away, and she
teared up when she saw me: 'You look just like her.' I broke down. But
we smiled at each other and agreed we were there to deal with any
problem, so 'let’s get on with it.'"
Jolie now says she is in
forced menopause at the age of 39, and she won't be able to have any
more children. But, she says that now her children won't be able to say
their mother died of ovarian cancer.
"I feel feminine, and
grounded in the choices I am making for myself and my family. I know my
children will never have to say, 'Mom died of ovarian cancer.'" she
said.