Angelina Jolie has surgery to remove ovaries and fallopian tubes
As a preventative measure against cancer
Angelina Jolie has had surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes as a preventative measure against cancer.
The 39-year-old Hollywood actress, director and United Nations envoy, revealed in a New York Times article that she carries a gene that gave her a 50% chance of developing ovarian cancer. She had an 87% chance of developing the disease.
The surgery comes two years after Angelina underwent a preventative double mastectomy having lost her mother, aunt and grandmother to breast cancer.
In her opinion piece, titled Angelina Jolie Pitt: Diary of a Surgery, Angelina said she has been planning the surgery for some time, writing: “It is a less complex surgery than the mastectomy, but its effects are more severe. It puts a woman into forced menopause.”
She explained that after an annual blood test last month, she had a call from a doctor who told her she had a number of “inflammatory markers” that taken together could be “a sign of early cancer.”
“I went through what I imagine thousands of other women have felt,” Angelina 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.
“I called my husband (Brad Pitt) 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.”
Of her choice to have surgery, Angelina added: "It is not easy to make these decisions. But it is possible to take control and tackle head-on any health issue.
“You can seek advice, learn about the options and make choices that are right for you. Knowledge is power.”
Angelina said that the surgery revealed she had “a small benign tumour on one ovary, but no signs of cancer in any of the tissues.”
The Oscar winner added: "It is not possible to remove all risk, and the fact is I remain prone to cancer. I will look for natural ways to strengthen my immune system. 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.'"
Jolie will now have to take hormone replacements following the surgery.