Hollywood megastar Angelina Jolie already has six children, but this did not make her decision to get her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed any easier.

The actress has publicly talked about the agonizing decision she was forced to take in order to increase her life expectancy. But this will not stop her from getting cancer.

The 39-year-old actor left her fans totally stunned when she announced in 2013 that she was having a preventative double mastectomy to reduce her risk of developing cancer.

Jolie had then learned she had a genetic predisposition to breast and ovarian cancers in particular, after her aunt, mother and grandmother all died of the disease. Jolie believed she was in the clear but recent blood tests showed markers that her doctor said could be early signs of cancer. Angelina finally decided to have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed.

Writing in The New York Times, Jolie said: "It's not possible to remove all risk, and the fact is I remain prone to cancer. I will look for natural ways to strengthen my immune system. I feel feminine, and grounded in the choices I am making for myself and my family. I know my children will never have to say: Mom died of ovarian cancer."

"Regardless of the hormone replacements I'm taking, I am now in menopause. I'll not be able to have any more children, and I expect some physical changes. But I feel at ease with whatever will come, not because I am strong but because this is a part of life. It's nothing to be feared," she added.