It's been almost a month since my saplingo-oopherectomy (preventative because of BRCA1) and I'm very lucky - I am feeling minimal symptoms! I haven't had any hot flashes, which is a surprise because I had them during chemo.
My biggest symptom has been fatigue - all of a sudden during the day I would get so tired that I could hardly get up from my chair. But that's been getting better, and I wonder if it's also related to stopping cardio exercise for surgery recovery - I'm only starting to get back into it now. I was happy to see that I still have a sex drive and some lubrication, but I noticed some pain during sex, like there is a little less lubrication than before.
Before my ovary removal, I was SO eager to find out whether HRT was an option for me. I heard horror stories about having 30 hot flashes a day and not being able to sleep, and that the symptoms would occur immediately after surgery. I was panicked that my menopause-related appointments were a month after surgery. Those appointments were today and luckily I'm doing OK.
When I was researching HRT options, I became curious about Duavee, which pairs estrogen with bazedoxifene. The bazedoxifene essentially keeps the estrogen out of breast and uterine tissues. This recent study shows it not only treats menopausal symptoms, but also has a positive effect on breast cancer risk biomarkers. It's totally not meant for women who have had breast cancer, but it seems like a promising possibility - at this point, I'll just see what my doctors say and follow any future trials. Because I'm not experiencing bad menopause symptoms, I am not as eager to jump into something that has risks and side effects of its own, but I'm still curious what my options are.