Suffering the menopause at 39 is worth it to see my kids grow up – Angelina
Actress has ovaries removed in latest bid to fight cancer threat
ANGELINA Jolie has had her ovaries and f al l opian tubes removed after tests indicated she may be developing cancer.
The Oscar-winning actress yesterday revealed the surgery, which took place last week, had put her into a ‘forced menopause’ at the age of 39.
It comes two years after she had a preventative double mastectomy upon learning she carried a faulty gene that gave her an 87 per cent risk of developing breast cancer.
Miss Jolie, who announced her latest surgery in an American newspaper, said that although she still remains ‘prone to cancer’ and will not be able to have any more children, her six offspring will never have to say ‘Mum died of ovarian cancer’.
Miss Jolie lost her own mother, actress Marcheline Bertrand, to ovarian cancer at the age of 56 in 2007. Her grandmother Lois Bertrand died of cancer aged 45 and her aunt Debbie Martin lost her battle with the disease at 61.
Miss Jolie said she carries a gene that gives her a 50 per cent risk of developing ovarian cancer and had been planning the surgery for some time.
But the UN envoy revealed she was forced to act two weeks ago when a routine annual blood test revealed markers which could indicate early stages of cancer, and she was advised to consult a sur-
‘Lost my mother, aunt and grandmother’
geon immediately. Her decision to go public with her experiences led to many cancer charities describing her as ‘brave’ and ‘courageous’ for speaking out and helping other women in her position.
Writing in The New York Times under the headline Diary of a Surgery, Miss Jolie said: ‘Two years ago I wrote about my choice to have a preventive double mastectomy. A simple blood test had revealed that I carried a mutation in the BRCA1 gene. It gave me an estimated 87 per cent risk of breast cancer and a 50 per cent risk of ovarian cancer.
‘I lost my mother, grandmother and aunt to cancer. 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.
‘I had been planning this for some time. It is a less complex surgery than the mastectomy, but its effects are more severe. It puts a woman into forced menopause. So I was readying myself physically and emotionally, discussing options with doctors, researching alternative medicine, and mapping my hormones for oestrogen or progesterone replacement. But I felt I still had months to make the date.
‘Then two weeks ago I got a call from my doctor with blood test results. “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.’
Miss Jolie said the five days that passed as she waited for further test results were ‘a haze’ which she filled by attending a football game her children were involved in and focusing on work.
The results eventually showed she had no signs of cancer in her body tissue.
‘To my relief, I still had the option of removing my ovaries and fallopian tubes and I chose to do it,’ she said.
Miss Jolie added that there are a number of options for other women who have the mutation and they did not need to leap into surgery, but explained that after careful consideration she had decided it was right for her. Annwen Jones, of Target Ovarian Cancer, said: ‘Angelina Jolie’s decision to tell her story is very brave, and she plays a vital role in raising awareness of ovarian cancer and the BRCA gene mutation.’
Katherine Taylor of Ovarian Cancer Action, said: ‘Angelina Jolie has made a really brave decision. It immediately puts the person into surgical menopause so it is not a decision to take lightly.’
Miss Jolie has six children with 51-year-old husband Brad Pitt – Shilo, eight, twins Knox and Vivienne, six, and their adopted siblings Maddox, 13, Pax, 11, and Zahara, ten.