Surgery for ovarian cancer
On the day of your surgery, there are things you need to do before you go to the theatre for your operation.
Your nurse will check your temperature, blood pressure, pulse and breathing rate.
Your nurse also goes through a series of questions on a checklist to make sure you are ready for surgery. They will also ask these questions in the anaesthetic room. They ask you to:
tell them you name and date of birth
tell them when you last had something to eat and drink
change into a hospital gown
take off any jewellery (except for a wedding ring)
take off any make up, including nail varnish
remove contact lenses if you have them
put on a pair of surgical stockings
put on 2 hospital identification bands usually on each wrist - if you have any allergies you will usually have an extra wristband so that your healthcare team are aware.
If you have false teeth you can usually keep them in until you get to the anaesthetic room.
On the day of your operation, you will need to stop eating for several hours before surgery. You might have a drip (intravenous infusion) put into your arm before your surgery so that you can have fluids. This makes sure you are not dehydrated before your operation.
Your nurse may ask you to have suppositories or an enema to clear out your bowel. This will help you avoid being constipated after your operation.
The nurses can arrange for a member of the surgical team to come and talk to you if you still have any questions about your operation. You'll sign a consent form if you didn't do this at the pre assessment clinic
Your nurse might give you a tablet or an injection to help you relax. This will be an hour or so before you go to the operating theatre. This makes your mouth feel dry. But you can rinse your mouth with water to keep it moist.
Your nurse and a porter take you to theatre on a trolley if you’ve had this medicine. You can walk down to the theatre if you haven't had any.
You have an anaesthetic so that you can’t feel anything during the operation. You have this in the anaesthetic room or the operating theatre.
All the doctors and nurses wear theatre gowns, hats and masks. This reduces your chance of getting an infection.
Your anaesthetist may put in a cannula, if you haven’t got one already. You’ll have fluids and medicines you need through the cannula including the general anaesthetic. This sends you into a deep sleep. When you wake up, the operation will be over.
The anaesthetist might also give you a spinal anaesthetic. This is a local anaesthetic that is injected into a small tube in the space around your spine (in your lower back). This makes you numb from the waist down it helps with pain control after your operation
After the operation, you usually wake up in the intensive care unit. Or you might wake up in the recovery room.
Last reviewed: 02 Dec 2024
Next review due: 02 Dec 2027
Most women with ovarian cancer have surgery. Find out about the different types and what happens.
The main treatments for ovarian cancer are surgery and chemotherapy. Your treatment depends on several factors including your cancer stage and grade.
Ovarian cancer is when abnormal cells in the ovary grow and divide in an uncontrolled way.
The stage tells you how big your cancer is and whether it has spread. The grade means how abnormal the cells look under the microscope.
There is support available to help you cope with a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, life during treatment and life after cancer.
Ovarian cancer is when abnormal cells in the ovary, fallopian tube or peritoneum begin to grow and divide in an uncontrolled way.
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