AQW 33614/22-27 Written question to the Minister of Health
To ask the Minister of Health to detail whether women who have undergone unilateral oophorectomy are entitled to routine ultrasound monitoring of the remaining ovary under health and social care services.
Asked by Paula Bradshaw MLA on 15 October 2025
- Answered
- Written
- After due date
- Tabled
- 15 October 2025
- Answer due by
- 30 October 2025
- Answered
- 11 November 202527 days after tabling
- Department
- Department of Health
- Priority question
- No
Answer
For women who have undergone unilateral oophorectomy, ultrasound monitoring of the remaining ovary is not routinely conducted in any hospital in Northern Ireland unless there was a known pathology. Whilst each case is considered individually, routine ultrasound monitoring is not standard for unilateral benign pathologies, unless the patient has pathology at time of original surgery or is high risk of malignancy as determined by genetics or family history.
Furthermore, Belfast Trust have also advised there is limited evidence for screening the remaining ovary in cancer cases. The UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening showed no reduction in mortality through screening, indicating that there is limited evidence for routine monitoring.