For young women with early-stage ovarian cancer, keeping their uterus and at least one ovary may not worsen their survival rate, according to new research.

Scientists at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons studied more than 4,000 ovarian cancer patients, aged 50 or younger, who had surgery for the disease during a six year period. They found that survival rates during the first five years following the cancer diagnosis were similar between women who had one ovary or their uterus spared and those who had a hysterectomy or both ovaries removed.

A hysterectomy or removal of both ovaries, in addition to ending a woman’s reproductive ability, can cause estrogen deprivation that leads to many other health issues, but has often been seen as the best surgical treatment for ovarian cancer.

Researchers conclude that for the sake of fertility and other health considerations, the benefits of conservative surgical treatment should be considered in young women with ovarian cancer.