The short explanation
This is one of the hardest health decisions a woman can face, and there is no single right answer. A BRCA2 change raises the lifetime risk of breast and ovarian cancer well above average. Risk-reducing surgery lowers that risk substantially but is a major step, while closer screening aims to find cancer early without surgery. Many women take time, often months, to decide. Women usually weigh their age, family history, whether they want more children, how they feel about surgery and its effects on body image and menopause, and how much they trust screening.
What depends on your situation
The parts of this that change from woman to woman. Uncertainty is stated, not hidden.
- Removing the ovaries and tubes is often discussed after a woman's family is complete, because it also brings on menopause, with effects on bones, heart and symptoms that need planning. Removing the breasts, with or without reconstruction, is a separate decision.
- Close breast screening, often including MRI as well as mammograms, is an alternative for women who prefer not to have breast surgery, at least for now.
- A genetic counsellor, breast surgeon and gynaecologist can each explain their part. Speaking to other women who have made these decisions, through hospital support groups, helps many.
What this answer cannot determine
The boundary of online education. These need a clinician who can see you.
- This cannot tell you what is right for you. That depends on your own risk figures and values, discussed with your team.
Questions for your clinician
Take these with you. You can add any of them to an appointment card.
- What is my estimated risk of breast and ovarian cancer at different ages?
- What does screening alone involve, and how well does it work?
- What are the effects of each surgery, including on menopause?
- Can I speak to a counsellor or other women who have faced this?
When to seek help
Clinician-approved guidance for this topic. When in doubt, being seen is never the wrong choice.
Book an appointment soon
- See your team within days if you notice a breast lump, ongoing bloating or pelvic pain.
Raise it at a routine appointment
- Take time over the decision, and book follow-up appointments with each specialist to discuss options.
Sources
The evidence this explanation is built on.
- BRCA gene changes: cancer risk and genetic testing National Cancer Institute
- Breast cancer MedlinePlus (NIH)
- Mammograms National Cancer Institute (NIH)
Who wrote and reviewed this
Every AskHer answer names its author. A clinically reviewed answer also names the clinician who signed it off — if no clinician is named below, it has not been clinically reviewed.
- Author
- AskHer Editorial (AI-assisted draft) AskHer's editorial team — not an individual clinician Works in English, தமிழ், हिन्दी
- Clinical reviewer
- Nobody yet No clinician has signed this answer off, and no person on the editorial team has read it yet. That is what the “Written with AI assistance” label means. It is queued for an editor to read, and then for a clinician who works in this area. The sources it was drafted against are listed above.
- Review status
- Written with AI assistance — not yet reviewed by a person
- Last reviewed
- Not yet reviewed by a person
- Version
- 1
Correction history
Substantive changes are listed, not quietly edited away.
No corrections have been made since this answer was first published.
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