An article in the Washington Post Angelina Jolie’s difficult decision based on her family history and the fact that she carried the BRCA1 gene highlights the many options for cancer treatment today.
“‘Jolie’s op-ed probably will inspire other women to find out more information and think about their choices, said Eleni Tousimis, chief of breast surgery at Georgetown hospital. There are many options when you test positive and sometimes that’s very close monitoring,” she said. “But what I like about this is the title of her essay, ‘My Medical Choice.’ She had the gene test and made an informed decision and shared it. It’s a powerful moment.’”
One of the choices for young women who either have cancer or decide to remove ovaries because they have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer and carry the BRCA gene, is to preserve their fertility by freezing their eggs before having their ovaries removed.