San, I'm a bit puzzled by your experience; let me get it straight. You discovered a lump in your breast in your mid-30s, tracked it with mammograms and sonograms for 4-5 years, then got a diagnosis of DCIS via biopsy. That led you to a bilateral mastectomy at age 38 1/2. Is that right?

If so, I assume the bilateral mastectomy was prophylactic - that is, you had cancer (actually, a pre-cancer) in one breast, but for peace of mind decided to have both breasts removed. And now you want to know if you should have genetic testing, and have your ovaries removed - right?

Genetic testing would only be advised if there's some reason to suspect your cancer might be genetic. Please read our post on deciding whether to have genetic testing to determine if you're a candidate. If you are, and if the test shows you carry one of the BRCA genes, then you should discuss with the genetic counselor and your oncologist the advisability of having your ovaries removed.

If you don't carry a BRCA gene, or if genetic testing isn't necessary, it's probably not advisable to put yourself through an unnecessary surgery (ovary removal). Every surgery carries risk and possible long-term side effects, which should be carefully balanced against its benefit - in this case, ovary removal to possibly lessen your chance of breast cancer recurrence, or ovarian cancer. Make sure, if you're facing this decision, to get figures for absolute (not relative) risk of cancer - new, or a recurrence - with or without the surgery, OK? This data will help you decide. Best of luck - PJH