Actress Angelina Jolie has had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed as an abundance of caution to cut her risk for cancer.
In her article in the New York Times, Jolie stated that she had the surgery last week and she decided to undergo the treatment because she carries a gene that gives her a 50% risk of developing ovarian cancer. Two years ago, Jolie had a double mastectomy because her mother died of breast cancer.
She decided to have the mastectomy after a test showed that she is a carrier of the gene BRCA1 which gave her 87% increased risk of developing breast cancer.
"I wanted other women at risk to know about the options. I promised to follow up with any information that could be useful, including about my next preventive surgery, the removal of my ovaries and fallopian tubes," she wrote in New York Times.
She had long been planning to opt for the surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes but took it easily as she prepares herself for a forced menopause. However, a call from her doctor took a turn as her cancer marker, CA-125, was in normal levels but there are inflammatory markers which are elevated. This could signal early stages of cancer and it pushed her to undergo the procedure.
"It is not easy to make these decisions," she said. "But it is possible to take control and tackle head-on any health issue."
She wanted to share her experience to other women in order for them to know that there are other options. Three women in her family have died from cancer and she wants to save herself from the deadly disease.
She aired her advice to other women, "You can seek advice, learn about the options and make choices that are right for you. Knowledge is power."