When a doctor told you that you had an ovarian cyst during a hospital visit, have you ever wondered what the hell the doctor was talking about? A fluid-filled sac that forms on an ovary is called an ovarian cyst . They are highly common and typically have no symptoms. The majority of ovarian cysts spontaneously disappear within a few months and don't require medical treatment. Ovary is an oval-shaped female organ where eggs are produced from and located down the abdomen of women.There are 2 ovaries one on the left and another one on the right. Ovarian cysts can develop during menstrual period though most of the time they are harmless and go unnoticed. Although there is no specific age for ovarian cysts to occur, they often do so between puberty and menopause. It is estimated that 8–18% of women have an ovarian cyst. Cysts can occasionally become painful when infected. Treatment of ovarian cyst depends on factors, in this post i will explain them and add causes and symptoms of ovaria cyst.
Image Credit: OSF HealthCare
Causes of ovarian cyst.
The menstrual cycle is the primary cause of most ovarian cyst formation. We refer to these as functional cysts. Cysts of other sorts are far less common.
Functional cysts.
Ovaries have tendency of forming small vesicular structures called follicles and this happens every moth. Follicles are a basic structures that hold eggs of a woman before ovulating for fertilization. Hormones estrogen and progestrone are also produced from the follicles in a woman. Are these functions of the ovaries that facilitate the formation of cysts. Since follicles develop every month they become bigger in size and persists forming functional cysts. functional cysts do not usually cause any pain and they diminish withing months.
Pathological cysts.
Pathological cyst is non-menstrual associted cyst and include the following:
Dermoid cyst . This cyst, also known as a teratoma, develops from ovarian germ cells, which are reproductive cells that produce eggs. Tissue from the skin, hair, or teeth may be present in the cyst. Seldom is this kind of cyst cancerous.
Cystadenoma . The cells that form this kind of cyst are found on the ovary's surface. There's a chance that the cyst is packed with mucus or water. Large cystadenoma growth is possible.
Endometrioma . A disorder known as endometriosis causes cells that line the inside of the uterus to proliferate outside of it. A cyst may develop from tissue that has attached itself to the ovary. We refer to this as an endometrioma.
Large dermoid cysts and cystadenomas have the potential to shift the ovary out of place. This raises the possibility of ovarian torsion, a painful twisting of the ovary. Blood flow to the ovary may be decreased or stopped by ovarian torsion.
How do you know you have ovarian cyst-signs and Symptoms
In most cases when the ovarian cysts are small do not cause any harm of symptoms and they disappear without any intervention. However, when they are big in sizes ovarin cyst causes the following symptoms:
- Panful of the pelvice either on one side or both felt below the bellybutton. The pain can be so intense especially when occuring together with periods.
- Feeling of pressure on your lower abdomen.
- Abdominal fullness. You may feel like having too much gas in your abdomen.
- Slightly visible bump on you lateral lower abdomen when the cysts are multiple and big.
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Diagnosis process.
For doctors to find out if you have ovarin cyst, they make use of tests and other laboratory investigations. These include:
Ultrasound scan . Your pelvis will be scanned to see the cysts. Ultrasound uses a wand-like instrument called a transducer to send and receive high-frequency sound waves in order to create an image of your ovaries and uterus on a video screen. You can use the image to examine where the cyst is, confirm if you have one, and find out if it's solid or fluid-filled.
Laparoscopy . A tiny incision is made in your belly to accommodate the insertion of a thin, illuminated device called a laparoscope. Your doctor can view your ovaries and any cysts with a laparoscope. Treatment is typically administered during the same surgery if a cyst is discovered. Since this is a surgical treatment, anesthetic is needed.
Tumor markers test . In ovarian cancer, blood levels of a protein known as a cancer antigen are frequently high. In the event that your cyst seems solid and you have a high risk of developing ovarian cancer, your doctor may prescribe additional blood tests or the cancer antigen 125 (CA125) test. In non-cancerous disorders such endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease, CA 125 levels can also be raised.
Pregnancy test . During pregancy a normal functional cysts on the ovaries can be seen and you do not need to worry if you got a positive pregnacy test.
Treatment of ovarian cyst.
Treatment of ovarian cyst is entirely dependednt on their size, your age and the severity of symptoms .
There are mainly three options for treatment of ovarian cysts.
Observation . This refers to watching the progress of the cyst. The Doctor keep evaluating the size and you symptoms for further decision. This option is for cysts that are small and not giving any problem. Whever the status of your ovarin cyst changes to problematic the surgical removal or drugs are used to manage them.
Surgical treatment. If the cyst is huge, expanding, does not appear to be functional, or is causing pain, your provider may recommend its removal. Cystectomy—the removal of a cyst—can be performed without removing the ovary. Sometimes the cysted ovary is removed (oophorectomy).
Many times, minimally invasive surgery, or laparoscopy, is used to perform surgery. Through tiny abdominal incisions, a laparoscope and other devices are inserted. An open operation involving a larger cut can be required if the cyst is large or malignancy is a worry.
Sometimes, an ovarian cyst that appears after menopause is cancerous. You might need to see a gynecologic cancer specialist in this situation. Your ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, and cervix may need to be removed surgically. Additionally, you might require chemotherapy.
What increases women's chances of having ovarian cyst?
Pelvic infections . Having severe pelvic infection (PDI) is one of the major risks for having ovarin cyst. Pelvic inflamatory disease may involve the ovary causing severe pain. The common infections in this case are sexually transmitted infections ( STIs )
Hormonal imbalance. People with high levels of certain hormones particularly estrogen can face trouble with multiple and persistent cyst problems.
Being pregnant . The follicle that develops after ovulation may occasionally remain on your ovary the entire time you are pregnant. It occasionally has the potential to enlarge.
Past history of cyst. If you have had ovarin cyst before, you have higher chances of them reoccuring later in your life.
Endometrial disorder. Women with endometriosis can have the tissue forming arround the ovary causing cysts. Endometriosis means the endometrial tissue (Inside uterus) growing on other locations other than the inside of uterus.
What are complications of ovarian cysts
Although they don't happen frequently, ovarian cyst problems can exist. Among them are:
Ovarian torsion
. Large cysts have the potential to displace the ovary. This raises the possibility of an uncomfortable ovarian twisting (ovarian torsion). You may experience nausea, vomiting, and abrupt, intense pelvic pain if this occurs. Blood flow to the ovary can also be decreased or stopped by ovarian torsion.
Rupture of a cyst
. A ruptured cyst can cause excruciating pain and internal bleeding in the pelvic. The likelihood of a cyst rupturing increases with size. Intense activities that put strain on the pelvic, such vaginal intercourse, can raise the possibility of rupture.
Summary.
The majority of ovarin cyst are caused by normal functioning of the female reproductive system hence no sympoms are associated. Treatment of ovarina cyst depends on wether they are painful or bigger in size but when cause by pelvic infection treatment need to target sexually transmitted infections . Women can have on and off incidences of ovarian cysts. Multiple cysts are major cause of pain originating from ovaries.
Read also: 6 signs of vaginal fungal infection
References
- Mayo clinic
- Clevland clinic
- Dr Elias Kavoor
