Angelina Jolie has undergone preventive surgery to have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed, just two years after having a double mastectomy.

The actress emotionally revealed that she made the decision after doctors said she was at an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer.

Writing in The New York Times, the mother, who carries a mutation in the BRCA1 gene, said the decision was "not easy".

"In my case, the eastern and western doctors I met agreed that surgery to remove my tubes and ovaries was the best option, because, on top of the BRCA gene, three women in my family have died from cancer," she said.

"My doctors indicated I should have preventive surgery about a decade before the earliest onset of cancer in my female relatives.

"My mother's ovarian cancer was diagnosed when she was 49. I'm 39.

"It is 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'."