Angelina Jolie Had Ovaries and Fallopian Tubes Removed Due to Cancer Scare

Angelina Jolie reportedly had undergone surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes, causing her to enter menopause, after a terrifying cancer scare.

The actress, director and U.N. envoy (who underwent a preventative mastectomy in 2013) wrote a frank and moving op-ed piece in Tuesday, March 24's New York Times in which she described the horrifying moment a doctor called to say her yearly cancer-screening blood test showed inflammatory markers which could be a sign of early ovarian cancer.

According to US weekly, "I went through what I imagine thousands of other women have felt," mom-of-six Jolie writes. "I told myself to stay calm, to be strong, and that I had no reason to think I wouldn't live to see my children grow up and to meet my grandchildren," she continues.

The gorgeous actress called her husband in France, who was on a plane within hours.

That same day she went to see the surgeon who had treated her mother, Marcheline Bertrand (who died of ovarian cancer in 2007). Initial examinations looked promising but Brad Pitt's wife was forced to wait five days for further test results.

"I passed those five days in a haze, attending my children's soccer game, and working to stay calm and focused," she writes. "The day of the results came. The PET/CT scan looked clear, and the tumor test was negative. I was full of happiness, although the radioactive tracer meant I couldn't hug my children. There was still a chance of early stage cancer, but that was minor compared with a full-blown tumor. To my relief, I still had the option of removing my ovaries and fallopian tubes and I chose to do it," she explains.

Jolie is keen to point out that her decision is not solely due to the fact she carries a BRCA1 gene mutation and advises other women in a similar situation to her, that there are alternatives to a "leap to surgery."

But for Jolie, 39, medical advice was unanimous and she underwent surgery (a laparoscopic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy) last week. Pathology revealed a small benign tumor on one ovary, but no signs of cancer.

Despite keeping her uterus, and receiving hormone replacements, the actress has now entered menopause. "I will not be able to have any more children, and I expect some physical changes," she explains. "But I feel at ease with whatever will come, not because I am strong but because this is a part of life. It is nothing to be feared."

"It is not easy to make these decisions," the actress concludes. "But it is possible to take control and tackle head-on any health issue. You can seek advice, learn about the options and make choices that are right for you. Knowledge is power."