Ovarian cysts are very common amongst women in their reproductive age and most even lose them without even being aware that they had them. However in some cases, particularly in menopausal women, they might need medical intervention as there is a high risk of the cyst becoming a malignant tumor.
Most cysts are similar to blisters and go away in 2-3 menstrual cycles. Cysts are formed when a follicle develops but does not lead collapse after rupturing to release the egg; such cysts are the most common and are called functional ovarian cysts. Abnormal cysts like polycystic ovarian disease can be caused by imbalance of the female hormones like estrogen and progesterone. The term ‘ovarian cysts’ generally refers to the most common cysts formed in the ovaries during the reproductive years of a woman’s life and not to any other cysts.
Causes of Ovarian Cysts
When the egg is developing during a woman’s fertile years, a ‘follicle’ is formed and attaches itself to the uterine wall. Most months, an egg is released from this follicle, which is called ovulation. If the follicle fails to rupture and the egg is not released, then a cyst is formed and is called the follicular cyst. When the follicle ruptures and releases the egg, but does not collapse, the corpus luteum cyst is formed; this type of cyst might contain some blood.
In some cases, the usage of fertility drugs might lead to the formation of multiple large cysts in the ovaries due to hyper stimulation of the ovaries.
These cysts too disappear after a period or a pregnancy. Hemorrhagic cysts are formed when there is bleeding within a cyst and there might be pain on the side of the abdomen affected. Dermoid cysts are formed when the cysts grow larger and develop fat cells, hair and other body tissues and even bones and cartilage. Such cysts are prone to become inflamed and can lead to other complications.
Endometrioid cysts are formed when the tissue lining the uterus in found in the ovaries; it too affects women in their reproductive years and is accompanied by chronic pain in the pelvic region during the menstruation period. This type of cyst can lead to infertility in some cases.
Polycystic appearing ovary is so called because of the sheer size of the cyst and is commonly associated with pregnancy issues and miscarriages. Cystadenoma is a benign tumor that usually develops from the ovaries and can be containing a mucous-like fluid and can grow up to 12 inches in diameter.
Symptoms and Diagnosis of Ovarian Cysts
In most cases the symptoms of ovarian cysts include bloated or swollen abdomen and a feeling of fullness even while eating little. Diagnosis can be done with an ultrasound scan or a CT scan in most cases. The medical practitioner can even feel the cyst in a pelvic exam in most cases.
Treatment Procedures for Ovarian Cysts
Treatment usually includes a laparoscopy for either diagnosis or removal of a cyst. The patient’s age, the size of the cyst and the appearance of the cyst during the scan are the determining factors for the planned treatment. In most cases, the scan will provide a good idea of the problem and the doctor can decide on a laparoscopy or a laparotomy to study or remove the cyst.
There might be some blood work necessary to rule out other complications and so your doctor might ask for a CA-125, just to eliminate other potential problems. Depending on the number and size of the cysts involved the doctor might decide to go in for surgery or to wait it out. In more cases than seems possible most cysts disappear by themselves.
However in cases of very large cysts or multiple cysts leading to other complications, the best way to deal with them might be to get it operated on and removed. In some rare cases, infertility drugs lead to the over-stimulation of the uterus and that can result in copus luteum cysts or theca lutein cysts, where there might be excessive as well as internal bleeding. So the best way to deal with them might be immediate surgery because to the untrained eye they might seem like cancer and quite scary.
Ovarian cysts can be spotted during a regular checkup, so ensure that you do the same time and again so that you’re well informed about the problems that you’re facing.
