Angelina Jolie Will Have Her Ovaries Removed

Impact

After announcing that she has undergone a preventative double mastectomy, Angelina Jolie has announced that she will be undergoing a surgery to remove her ovaries as well. Why? Because she carries a mutation of the gene BRCA1, that's linked to an increased risk of cancer. In an op-ed she wrote for the New York Times yesterday, she revealed that her chance of developing breast cancer were 87%, while her chances of contracting ovarian cancer are 50%. In the piece, she hinted at the idea that she was only "starting" with reducing the chances of breast cancer before she would deal with her high chance of developing ovarian cancer.

According to People, the star has confirmed that she will be undergoing an oophorectomy, to get her ovaries removed. This kind of procedure usually cuts a patient with a BRCA1 mutation's chances of getting ovarian cancer by 80-90%, but it's different for every woman. According to medical experts at the Mayo Clinic, the surgery rarely has any complications. More than 600, 000 women have oophorectomies every year in the United States.

Jolie's mother Marcheline Bertrand, died of ovarian cancer after a decade-long battle at the young age of 56 years old.

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