What should you know about ovarian cancer surgery?

The operation depends on the tumour's location, its spread, your general health, and whether preserving fertility is relevant. A surgeon may remove one or both ovaries, the fallopian tubes, the womb, nearby tissue, or visible deposits elsewhere in the abdomen. Sampling tissue lets a laboratory confirm the diagnosis and stage. Debulking surgery aims to remove as much visible cancer as can be safely treated; chemotherapy may be given before or after surgery.

An operation can affect hormones, fertility, bowel or bladder function, and recovery time. Your team should explain the intended benefit, possible changes, wound care, pain control, and when normal activities can resume.

Bring a list of medicines, allergies, previous operations, and health conditions. Ask whether any medicine should be paused, what eating and drinking instructions apply, and whether you will need help at home. Arrange transport and support for the first part of recovery. A second opinion can help when the proposed operation is complex or you want another specialist view.

Before consenting, ask which organs may be removed, whether a temporary or permanent change to bowel or urinary function is possible, and how pathology results will affect the next step. Learn more about tumour removal surgery and discuss how it applies to your diagnosis.

Contact your surgical team promptly for fever, worsening abdominal pain, repeated vomiting, increasing redness or discharge from the wound, heavy bleeding, inability to pass urine, or a swollen painful leg. Seek emergency help for severe breathing difficulty, chest pain, fainting, or sudden confusion. Follow the discharge plan even if symptoms seem mild.

Which procedure is planned, and what is its main purpose? What might the operation change about fertility, hormones, bowel function, or urination? Will chemotherapy or another treatment be considered before or after surgery? When should pathology and staging results be ready? Which symptoms after discharge require a same-day call?