Identification

• Oophorectomy is the surgical removal of your ovaries, the organs in your body that produce eggs.
  
  

Function

• About 10 percent of women develop breast cancer due to hereditary characteristics like BRCA mutation, which is dependent upon the female sex hormone estrogen that is produced by your ovaries, reports Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered. If you are amongst these women, removing your ovaries cuts off your bodies estrogen supply.
  
  

Effects

• Oophorectomy is typically used to prevent a first case or recurrence of breast cancer, for which the procedure reduces your risk of developing the cancer by 50 percent, explains the Mayo Clinic. A 2002 study conducted at universities in Norway and the United Kingdom found that women who underwent oophorectomy within six months of their breast cancer diagnosis had fewer recurrences of breast cancer than those who kept their ovaries.
  
  

Complications

• After oophorectomy, you will experience menopause and no longer be able to conceive a child and may develop symptoms like hot flashes and mood swings. Oophorectomy can also cause the onset of osteoporosis and an increased risk of heart disease, explains the Mayo Clinic.
  
  

Considerations

• If you currently have cancer, oophorectomy is not likely to cure the condition on its own, but you may opt to have the procedure after breast surgery, chemotherapy or radiation to reduce your risk for a second cancer. Keep in mind that oophorectomy does not prevent breast cancer completely---even if you undergo the surgery, you may still develop breast cancer in the future.