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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
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Pregnancy |
Ovarian cysts11/21/1996 |
I am worried about the cysts on my ovaries. The left side contains a 1.0 X 2.1 (cm, I presume) unilocular cyst and smaller cysts were also noted. The right side contains a unilocular 1.1 cm cysts. I have been told that only a small percent (5%) of ovarian cysts are malignant and am wondering if there are any signs or symptoms of malignancy to be on the lookout for. Other relevant info: I am 29, have never been pregnant, and have a history of endemetriosis on my mother's side. It was roughly 3 months after going off the pill that my doc thought he felt the cysts in a routine exam of the uterus--that, combined with some slight pain, led to the ultrasound that gave me the above information 4 months ago. Recently, the pain is a little bit more pronounced: it's like an achiness or soreness on the right side only and it reaches down into the top of my right leg. The feeling is sort of like a slightly pulled muscle; on occasion (but not very often), it sharpens into into more of a shooting pain. My question is about these symptoms in particular and, once again, about general symptoms of malignancy in ovarian cysts. Is there anyway to know (or to make an educated guess) about malignancy in ovarian cysts other than having a laparascopy?
Ovarian cysts in a menstruating/ovulating female are normal. So many women are unnecessarily worried by physicians who tell them they have ovarian cysts but don't inform them that they are normal in most circumstances. Every month the ovary produces many small cysts in preparation for the release of one egg from the ovary. These can cause pain especially as they grow and rupture releasing the egg. Oral contraceptives (OCs) prevent cyst formation my inhibiting ovulation (the main reason they prevent pregnancy). The cysts that need further investigation are large (usually greater than 6-8 cm) that persist over many cycles. Cysts that occur in the postmenopausal women may need further investigation also as well as very irregular cysts. They cysts that you describe are found in almost every ovulating women each month; small and unilocular. I can't accurately assess whether your symptoms are related to the cysts or not, but it is unlikely given their small size. Their are few if any symptoms sprecific for ovarian cancer until it is quite advanced. The best prevention for you would be to return to taking OC's again. Your doctor was correct getting an ultrasound if he/she felt a mass and wasn't comfortable with it, but it seems that nothing else needs to be done.
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Thomas A deHoop, MD Associate Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology Director, Medical Student Education Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology College of Medicine University of Cincinnati |
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