Ovarian Cysts
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What is Ovarian cysts?
Ovarian cysts are sacs filled with fluid, inside the ovary or on its surface. All females have two ovaries. Right and left ovary on each side of the uterus.
Eggs develop and mature in the ovaries. Eggs are released in monthly cycles during the childbearing years.
Ovarian cysts are common. Most of the time, you have little or no discomfort, and the cysts are harmless. Most cysts go away without medical treatment within a few months.
But sometimes ovarian cysts can become twisted or burst open (rupture). This can cause serious symptoms. To protect your health, get regular pelvic exams and know the alarming symptoms
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What are
the symptoms?
Ovarian cysts that are smaller in nature would always tend to be asymptomatic; however larger cysts are liable for the symptoms like
- aching abdomen
- Bloating and indigestion
- Lower back pain
- Inconsistent menstrual periods
- Nausea and vomiting
- Considerable pain during sexual intercourse
- Pain in the lower right or left quadrant of the abdomen
Most ovarian cysts cause no symptoms and go away on their own. But a large ovarian cyst can cause:
- Pelvic pain. You may feel a dull ache or a sharp pain in the area below your bellybutton toward one side.
- Fullness, pressure or heaviness in your belly (abdomen).
- Bloating.
Get immediate medical help if you have:
- Sudden, severe abdominal or pelvic pain.
- Pain with fever or vomiting.
- Signs of shock. These include cold, clammy skin; rapid breathing; and lightheadedness or weakness.
Most ovarian cysts form as a result of your menstrual cycle. These are called functional cysts. Other types of cysts are much less common.
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What are
ovarian cysts?
Ovarian cysts are the tiny fluid-filled sacs, which would be formulated in the ovaries. Some of them would be harmless, but certain things might be perilous, as they possess the tendency to rupture and bleed, which would be extremely painful.
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During
Pregnancy
During pregnancy the habitual type of ovarian cysts which affects are functional ovarian cysts, which are being discovered in the first trimester. Ovarian cysts during pregnancy would always get resolved on their own before the child birth.
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Does
Ovarian cysts cause cancer?
Resounding No! Not all types of ovarian cysts occur due to cancer, and having an ovarian cyst does not cause ovarian cancer. However, certain types of ovarian cancers instigate cystic areas inside the tumor. In comparison with ovarian cancer, ovarian cysts would be always little common in nature.
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Functional Ovarian Cysts
Your ovaries grow small cysts called follicles each month. Follicles produce the hormones estrogen and progesterone and break open to release an egg when you ovulate.
A monthly follicle that keeps growing without rupturing is known as a functional cyst. There are two types of functional cysts:
Follicle cysts : Follicular cysts carry a follicle that has failed to break and filled with more fluid. About halfway through your menstrual cycle, an egg bursts out of its follicle. The egg then travels down a fallopian tube. A follicular cyst begins when the follicle doesn’t rupture. It doesn’t release its egg and continues to grow.
Corpus luteum cysts : Corpus luteum cysts occur when the follicle ruptures to release the egg, but bolts up and swells with fluid. These cysts would be extremely painful, which induces profuse bleeding.When bleeding occurs in a functional cyst, it’s being termed as a hemorrhagic cyst. After a follicle releases its egg, it shrinks and starts producing estrogen and progesterone. These hormones are needed for conception. The follicle is now called the corpus luteum. Sometimes, the opening where the egg came from gets blocked. Fluid builds up inside the corpus luteum, causing a cyst.
Complex Ovarian Cysts ? Some types of ovarian cysts can be tagged with endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome (POS) and other conditions. Polycystic ovaries arise, when the ovaries areextremely larger in nature, which contain multiple tiny cysts on the outer edges. Non-cancerous growths which originates from the outer lining tissue of the ovaries (cystadenomas), certain cysts would also develop, when the uterine lining tissue grows outside the uterus and adheres to the ovaries (endometrioma).
Functional cysts are usually harmless. They rarely cause pain and often disappear on their own within 2 to 3 menstrual cycles.
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What are
the risk factors?
The aforementioned factors would also enhance the risk of developing ovarian cysts : Obesity, Polycystic ovarian syndrome, Endometriosis, Early menstruation, Infertility.
The risk of having an ovarian cyst is higher with:
- Hormonal problems. These include taking a fertility drug that causes you to ovulate, for example clomiphene or letrozole.
- Pregnancy. Sometimes, the follicle that forms when you ovulate stays on your ovary throughout pregnancy. It can sometimes grow larger.
- Endometriosis. Some of the tissue can attach to your ovary and form a cyst.
- Severe pelvic infection. If the infection spreads to the ovaries, it can cause cysts.
- Previous ovarian cysts. If you’ve had one ovarian cyst, you’re likely to develop more.
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How are
Ovarian Cysts diagnosed?
For ovarian cysts, various methods have been provided, which let the doctors in up-helding the presence of ovarian cysts, which include:
Pelvic and Transvaginal Ultrasound :
A pelvic examination can detect the presence of ovarian cysts. A pelvis ultrasound would lend a helping hand to the doctor in determining the nature of the cyst. A transvaginal ultrasound has been carried out by inserting a probe into the vagina to examine the uterus and ovaries. This examination permits the doctor to examine the cyst in a more precise manner.
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Other
cysts
There are other types of cysts that are not related to menstrual cycles:
- Dermoid cyst. Also called a teratoma, this cyst forms from reproductive cells that make eggs in the ovary (germ cells). The cyst can contain tissue, such as hair, skin or teeth. This type of cyst is rarely cancerous.
- Cystadenoma. This type of cyst develops from cells on the surface of an ovary. The cyst might be filled with a watery or mucous material. A cystadenoma can grow very large.
- Endometrioma. Endometriosis is a condition that causes cells similar to those that line the inside of the uterus to grow outside the uterus. Some of the tissue can attach to the ovary and form a cyst. This is called an endometrioma.
Dermoid cysts and cystadenomas can become large and move the ovary out of position. This increases the chance of painful twisting of the ovary, called ovarian torsion. Ovarian torsion may reduce or stop blood flow to the ovary.
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Complications
They don’t happen often, but complications can occur with ovarian cysts. These include:
- Ovarian torsion. Cysts that become large can cause the ovary to move. This increases the chance of painful twisting of the ovary (ovarian torsion). If this happens, you might have sudden, severe pelvic pain and nausea and vomiting. Ovarian torsion can also reduce or stop blood flow to the ovary.
- Cyst rupture. A cyst that bursts open (ruptures) can cause severe pain and bleeding inside the pelvis. The larger the cyst, the greater the risk of rupture. Vigorous activity that affects the pelvis, such as vaginal sex, also increases the risk of rupture.
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Prevention
There’s no way to prevent most ovarian cysts. But, regular pelvic exams help ensure that changes in your ovaries are diagnosed as early as possible. Be alert to changes in your monthly cycle. Make a note of unusual menstrual symptoms, especially ones that go on for more than a few cycles. Talk to your health care provider about changes that concern you.
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Diagnosis
A cyst on your ovary can be found during a pelvic exam or on an imaging test, such as a pelvic ultrasound. Depending on the size of the cyst and whether it’s filled with fluid or solid, your health care provider likely will recommend tests to determine its type and whether you need treatment.
Possible tests include:
- Pregnancy test. A positive test might suggest an early pregnancy. Corpus luteum cysts are normal to see during pregnancy.
- Pelvic ultrasound. A wandlike device (transducer) sends and receives high-frequency sound waves to create an image of your uterus and ovaries on a video screen (ultrasound). The image is used to confirm that you have a cyst, see its location, and determine whether it’s solid or filled with fluid.
- Laparoscopy. A slim, lighted instrument (laparoscope) is inserted into your abdomen through a small cut (incision). Using the laparoscope, your provider can see your ovaries and any cyst. If a cyst is found, treatment is usually done during the same procedure. This is a surgical procedure that requires anesthesia.
- Tumor marker tests. Blood levels of a protein called a cancer antigen often are elevated in ovarian cancer. If your cyst appears solid and you’re at high risk of ovarian cancer, your provider might order a cancer antigen 125 (CA 125) test or other blood tests. CA 125 levels can also be elevated in noncancerous conditions, such as endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease.
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Treatment
Medical treatment — Combined OCP’s are pills given for a short period of time to shrink the cyst and reassessment with ultrasound to check if the cyst had gone.
Surgical treatment — Laparoscopic and Robotic ovarian cystectomy.
