Conservative surgery is of increasing importance in gynecologic oncology. Criteria for conservative surgery are well defined, in spite of this a lot of young women with early ovarian cancer are treated with radically operative procedures. Data of 17 patients below the age of 35 with stage I ovarian cancer and conservative surgery are reported. Only one of 9 patients with epithelial carcinoma relapsed and could be successfully treated with surgery and chemotherapy. No patient died within a median follow up of 8 years. All patients demonstrated intact endocrine function after conservative surgery.