Erm, wat? I watched my mother die from ovarian cancer. She'd had breast cancer 40 years earlier. It took four weeks from diagnosis to death. Four. Weeks. If I can spare my kids that, I would. I had the BRCA test and, unlike Angelina Jolie, I am not a carrier of the gene. So I won't be having the surgery.

It's bad medicine to talk about these procedures without talking about the increased risks that women with BCRA face. It's bad medicine to ignore how difficult it is to catch ovarian tumors early enough to cure them, even in women known to be at risk.

You are extremely ignorant and naive. You clearly did not read the article and have no idea of what being positive for the BRCA 1 gene means (an 87% change of developing breast cancer and a 50% change of developing ovarian cancer). My family also has the BRCA 1 gene, and I have two aunts who have developed ovarian…

You have no idea what you are talking about. She's made an informed decision about her health that I would personally, also take.
Oh, and by the way, I just underwent surgery, chemo, radiation and still doing hormone therapy for fucking breast cancer. It took 2 years of my life. I did have cancer, but I did not have…

Are you stupid?

If I watched my mother suffer for years and then die of a disease that I now have an almost 90% chance of getting, the list of body parts I would be willing to have surgically removed to spare my kids the pain of watching their mom die would be a long one.

I don't see a problem with her choice. She tested positive for the gene. I have a few friends who watched their mothers die from ovarian cancer. All said they'd have their ovaries removed if they tested positive for the gene. All of them experienced the death if their mothers at a very young age. They have now lived…

30% of ALL breast cancer is or will become Stage IV. If you have the cards stacked against you and you know you are very susceptible to breast cancer, you remove them. It's less a major surgery than a cesarean section is but EVERYONE LOSE THEIR MIND at removing BREASTS. It's an appropriate use of medical…

If I have a 87% chance of a cancer, I'm getting whatever is likely to become cancerous removed, too. And yes, the surgery that I'll undergo is likely to be the same surgery that people with that cancer undergo, and I can have empathy and understanding of that. Not complete understanding, of course, but much much…

You do not understand cancer. Doctors wont do a mastectomy just willingly.

As someone who is BRCA2 positive, I find your comment beyond ignorant. Preventative mastectomy and oopherectomy isn't bad medicine at all - while it is a personal decision, it is a highly recommended form of preventative treatment.

All I got from your post was "Preventative medicine is a bad idea! We should LET people get cancer FIRST before we do anything about it!" and "How dare she make medical decisions FOR HERSELF!!! THE NERVE!!" and "How dare she claim an emotional connection with people! THAT IS SO RUDE!"

C'mon. Really. Cut that shit out.

1) Her paranoia is well place, since her mom and grandma died of the diseases.

Uh, plenty of non-celebrities have undergone these preventative surgeries because they tested positive for inherited mutations in the BRCA genes. I'd probably do the same thing. A lot of health insurance companies cover it, and there's a reason for that.

You don't get to tell people what to do with their bodies. Angelina Jolie's is an adult with a family history of cancer and an 87% chance of getting cancer. She made a valid decision to try to prevent it.

You're totally right. She should probably just rub coconut oil on that shit and hope for the best. #homeopathyforthewin #womenbeparanoid

Prophylactic surgery is a valid clinical procedure for people with heightened risks of certain types of cancer. BRCA1 mutations can qualify, depending on type and severity.

She lost her mother, aunt, uncle & both grandparents to cancer in their 40s-50s. Her mom died at 56 after battling cancer for almost 10 years and she didn't want her children to go through the pain of losing her, like she had done with her own mom. Finding out about having this gene must have been horrible and it's…

Actually, if you test positive for the BRCA1 gene and have incredibly elevated chances of getting breast and ovarian cancer, surgery is prudent and certainly "good medicine." Especially if you are over 35 and have children already (if you want them in the first place, and she clearly falls into that category). Also,…

Wha? She saw her mother die of ovarian cancer. She has a comparatively high risk of having the cancer herself and she has kids she doesn't want to leave motherless. I think she has a greater awareness of cancer than most. And I think your anger is misplaced.