Actress Angelina Jolie has had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed as a preventative measure against cancer.
Writing in the New York Times, Jolie said she chose to have the surgery as she carries a gene that gave her a 50% risk of developing ovarian cancer.
Two years ago, Jolie, whose mother died from cancer, had a double mastectomy.
“It is not easy to make these decisions,” she said. “But it is possible to take control and tackle head-on any health issue.”
In an article in the New York Times, titled Angelina Jolie Pitt: Diary of a Surgery, she wrote about the procedure, saying: “It is a less complex surgery than the mastectomy, but its effects are more severe. It puts a woman into forced menopause.”
Jolie, who is also a director and UN envoy, will now take hormone replacements.
She elected to have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed after a check-up which put her in the clear from showing the early stages of ovarian cancers, but showed she still at risk of developing the disease which killed her mother, grandmother and aunt.
The Oscar-winning Hollywood star said: “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.”
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Source: BBC