Oophorectomy means removal of ovaries. A full discussion of the terminology is available at Wikipedia.
Oophorectomy has potentially-serious, long term consequences stemming mostly from the hormonal effects of the surgery and extending well beyond menopause (Rocca, 2006). The reported risks and adverse effects range from premature death, cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment or dementia, parkinsonism, osteoporosis and bone fractures, decline in psychological wellbeing, and decline in sexual function. Carefully-selected, hormone replacement therapy reduces many of these risks
Oophorectomy is associated with significantly increased all-cause long-term mortality except when performed for cancer prevention in carriers of high risk BRCA mutations. Removal of ovaries causes hormonal changes and symptoms similar to, but generally more severe than, menopause. Women who have had an oophorectomy are usually encouraged to take hormone replacement drugs to prevent other conditions often associated with menopause. Women younger than 45 who have had their ovaries removed face a higher mortality risk than women who have retained their ovaries. Hormone therapy for women with oophorectomies performed before age 45 improves the long term outcome and all cause mortality rates.
Hormone production of the ovaries currently cannot be sufficiently mimicked by drug therapy. The ovaries produce hormones a woman needs throughout her entire life, in the quantity they are needed, at the time they are needed, and released directly into the blood stream in a continuous fashion, in response to and as part of the complex endocrine system.
Oophorectomy is associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures. However, the risk is limited to oophorectomy performed before menopause or during the early perimenopause. Reduced levels of testosterone in women is predictive of height loss, which may occur as a result of reduced bone density. In women under the age of 50 who have undergone oophorectomy, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is often used to offset the negative effects of sudden hormonal loss (e.g., early-onset osteoporosis) as well as menopausal problems like hot flushes (also called “hot flashes”) that are usually more severe than those experienced by women undergoing natural menopause.
Oophorectomy may impair sexual well-being. Substantially more women reported libido loss, difficulty with sexual arousal, and vaginal dryness. HRT may assist these symptoms. HRT is controversial due to the known carcinogenic and coagulative properties of estrogen; however, many physicians and patients feel the benefits outweigh the risks in women who may face serious health and quality of life issues as a consequence of early surgical menopause.