What are the ovaries?
The ovaries are a pair of small, almond-shaped organs in the female reproductive system. They are present in the female pelvis on the right and left of the uterus. They are responsible for producing and releasing eggs on a monthly-basis during the reproductive years. Eggs can be subsequently fertilized by the man’s sperm. One other important function of the ovaries is to produce the female hormones (estrogen and progesterone). These hormones are necessary for your menstrual cycle, pregnancy-if present, your body shape, bone health and overall health.
What is an Ovarian Cyst and what are the different types of Ovarian Cysts?
Before they get released from the ovaries, the eggs form in a small fluid-filled sac called follicle. The fluid protects the egg while it develops and is released with the egg.
If the follicle doesn’t break open and the fluid is not released, follicular ovarian cysts may develop. If the follicle reseals after it bursts and the fluid reaccumulates, corpus luteum cysts will then develop. These 2 types of cysts are called functional cysts as they may develop monthly during the normal function of the ovary. Functional cysts are the most common types of ovarian cysts and they usually resolve within 1-2 months.
Other types of ovarian cysts include Dermoid Cysts (filled with tissue from other parts of the body such as hair, teeth and fat), Cystadenomas (present on the outer surface of the ovary and filled with watery or sticky fluid), Endometriomas (usually present in women who have endometriosis).
Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a condition that causes the development of multiple small, benign cysts on the ovaries and is usually present due to hormonal imbalance.
What are common symptoms that you might have with the ovarian cysts?
In most cases, ovarian cysts are small, harmless and produce no symptoms. In other cases, cysts may cause problems if they get larger, if they twist (ovarian torsion), or if they burst and cause internal bleeding. Immediate attention and treatment is then needed. If you have an ovarian cyst, you might experience any of the following symptoms:
- Menstrual irregularities or abnormal bleeding
- Dull ache in your lower back or thighs
- Pelvic pain shortly before or after the beginning of your menstrual cycle
- Pelvic pain with intercourse (dyspareunia)
- Fullness or heaviness in your abdomen - Nausea, vomiting or breast tenderness
- Pressure on your bowel or pain during bowel movements
- Difficulty emptying your bladder completely
It is always important to remember that some ovarian cysts may be cancerous. Although very rare in younger women during their reproductive years, the risk of ovarian cancer increases with age. For further information please refer to the section on Ovarian Cancer).
How do we diagnose Ovarian Cysts?
These tests include:
- Ultrasound: Many aspects of the ovarian cyst on the ultrasound will aid to determine a diagnosis and help with the management. Essentially, these aspects include the shape (regular or irregular), the size and the composition of the cyst. It is important to know whether a cyst is fluid-filled, solid or mixed. Fluid-filled cysts (commonly called simple cysts on ultrasound) aren’t likely to be cancerous and most often require observation and close follow-up unless they are too large or causing disturbing symptoms. Those cysts that are solid or mixed (fluid-filled and solid) may require further evaluation to determine if cancer is present and most often require surgical treatment. These cysts are commonly called complex cysts on the ultrasound. -CT-scan or MRI: These are usually reserved for more complicated cysts.
-Blood tests including pregnancy test, hormone levels and CA-125.
What does my CA-125 result mean?
CA-125 is a blood test that can be performed to rule out ovarian cancer. However, the results are often high in premenopausal women, because many other benign conditions can lead to a “high” CA-125 level. Endometriosis, fibroids, noncancerous ovarian cysts, infection, liver disease, and many other conditions can falsely elevate the value and give patients an unnecessary scare. The test is somewhat more effective in postmenopausal patients.
How are ovarian cysts treated at WSC?
Please refer to Treatment Options of Ovarian Cysts.