Angelina Jolie Undergoes More Preventive Surgery

It's been two years since Angelina Jolie Pitt revealed that she had a preventive double mastectomy. Today, she writes in another moving essay inThe New York Times that she's had even more preventive surgery: She says she's had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed to further lower her risk of developing cancer. In addition to inheriting the rare BRCA1 gene mutation, Jolie Pitt (now 39) says that she lost her mother, aunt, and grandmother to cancer. This, she says, gave her about an 87% risk of getting breast cancer and a 50% risk of getting ovarian cancer. Although she says she had planned to have the procedure for a while now, the results of a recent blood test, which showed elevated inflammatory markers, spurred her to act now. All of this, along with the advice of many "doctors, surgeons, and naturopaths" led her to this huge decision. But, she acknowledges that it's not the right choice for everyone: "There is more than one way to deal with any health issue," she writes. "The most important thing is to learn about the options and choose what is right for you personally."  This is a key message to keep in mind for all medical decisions, but especially for the big ones. (New York Times)