During periods, if you often experience pain in your lower back or one side of the abdomen, chances are you might have developed ovarian cysts. These are fluid-filled or semi-solid cysts that occur in the ovaries. It is common during pregnancy or when you’ve not hit menopause. While they are not harmful, sometimes they cause pain or can be harmful. That’s why they need to be diagnosed earlier to prevent complications. Learn what causes ovarian cysts, and their symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment in this article. Visit Doral Health and Wellness – Women’s Health Center and consult with the best Women’s health specialist in New York.
Causes
Ovarian cysts are associated with the menstrual cycle and often don’t cause any serious problems.
During the menstrual cycle, a follicle grows inside your ovary to mature into an egg. The follicle produces estrogen hormone to change the uterine lining to prepare it for pregnancy. When the egg matures, it is released from the follicle, breaks open, and is released into the fallopian tubes; if the fluid stays in the follicle, it forms a cyst. This process is called ovulation. This type of cyst is called a follicular cyst. This is the most common type of ovarian cyst.
Another type of cyst occurs when an egg is released from a follicle and starts to shrink by producing estrogen and progesterone, which are required for conception. The follicle is called a corpus luteum, which sometimes blocks the opening through which the egg came out. It is filled with fluid that causes a cyst, which is why it is called a corpus luteum cyst.
Other common causes of ovarian cysts are:
- Endometriosis: It’s a condition where some tissue attaches to the ovary and forms endometrioma cysts.
- Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID): You may get pus-filled cysts on or close to your ovaries if you’re affected with pelvic infection.
- Abnormal cell growth: It may cause dermoid or cystadenoma cysts if your ovary cells grow abnormally.
Other causes of ovarian cysts when you’re still menstruating include:
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- Non-cancerous growths
- Cancer
- Pregnancy
Ovarian cysts are more common during childbearing years, and their risk reduces after menopause. Taking fertility medicines can usually cause multiple follicles in the ovaries. These cysts often go away after a woman’s period or after a pregnancy. However, some cysts require treatment (those that occur due to hormone-related conditions like PCOS).
Symptoms
Usually, small ovarian cysts cause no symptoms. However, if they get bigger, you may experience symptoms like:
- Bloating or swelling.
- Pain during bowel movements.
- Pelvic pain before or after the beginning of a menstrual period.
- Nausea.
- Dull ache on the back.
- Pain during sex.
- Pelvic pain that can be constant, or a dull ache.
- Frequent urge to pee or poop.
The ovarian cyst pain depends on the location, which is mostly on one side of the lower belly or in your back. This pain can be sharp or dull or come and go. Generally, it goes away on its own, but you may need to see a doctor if your cyst grows large, causes symptoms, or bursts.
When a cyst bursts, pain and discomfort are noticeable for some but not for others. It may appear as vaginal spotting or bleeding. But the pain can be sharp in the lower belly or back, bloating doesn’t get better, and the spotting or bleeding will be abnormal. In some cases, when ovarian cysts burst, you may require emergency medical attention. You should get medical help right away if you have:
- Sudden, severe belly pain.
- Pain with fever or throwing up.
- Dizziness, weakness, or feeling faint.
- Fast breathing.
Diagnosis
Usually, ovarian cysts are found during a pelvic exam or an imaging test like a pelvic ultrasound. Depending on the size of the cyst and what is filled inside, your doctor recommends other tests to find its type and whether you need treatment or not. The common tests are:
- Pregnancy test: If you have a positive test, this indicates an early pregnancy, which may cause corpus luteum cysts.
- Pelvic ultrasound: Doctors use a wand-like device to send and receive high-frequency sound waves to your pelvis to create an image of your uterus and ovaries on a monitor screen. This test helps to confirm whether you have a cyst or not, its location, and whether it’s solid or filled with fluid.
- Laparoscopy: It is a small surgical procedure where a small cut is made on your abdomen to insert an instrument to see your ovaries and any cysts. If a cyst is found, treatment is also performed at the same time. This procedure requires anesthesia.
- Tumor marker tests: It is a blood test used to check the protein levels in the blood produced by cancer antigens that raise the blood protein levels in ovarian cancer. If your cysts are solid, you’re at elevated risk of ovarian cancer, and your doctor may order a cancer antigen 125 (CA 125) test or other blood tests. CA 125 levels can also elevate due to noncancerous conditions like endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease.
Less common types of cysts are found during a pelvic exam, which is rare and not harmful. However, if solid ovarian cysts are found after menopause, they can be cancerous, which is why regular pelvic exams are recommended.
Treatment
Most ovarian cysts go away on their own within a few months. However, if it doesn’t disappear, you will need treatment based on their size, type, symptoms, and your age. Your doctor may recommend any of the following treatment options:
- Watchful waiting: In many cases, the doctor just waits and reexamines your cyst to see if it goes away after a few months. This is a common option regardless of your age if you don’t have any symptoms and the ultrasound found a small, fluid-filled cyst. You may need several follow-up pelvic ultrasounds to see if your cyst changes its size or appearance.
- Medicine: The doctor may prescribe hormonal contraceptives like birth control pills to reduce your symptoms or prevent the growth of more ovarian cysts. However, it doesn’t shrink the existing cysts.
- Surgery: Surgery is recommended to remove a large cyst that doesn’t appear to be functional (the cyst is still growing and causing pain). Some cysts can be removed without removing the ovary (cystectomy), while others require the removal of the ovary (oophorectomy). Your doctor decides which type of surgery is best for you. Often, minimally invasive surgery (laparoscopy) is used to make small cuts on the abdomen to remove the cyst. If the cyst is large or cancer is a concern, the doctor uses a laparotomy, where a larger cut is made to remove the cyst.
Ovarian cysts are a common problem that occurs in women in their childbearing years and go away after periods are over. They don’t cause any symptoms unless they are large and growing. If you experience pain or other symptoms of ovarian cysts, you should seek medical attention to manage your symptoms and get a diagnosis.
If you need help with ovarian cysts, visit our gynecology clinic in Brooklyn, to get professional medical help. Call us to book your appointment now!!!!
Log on to www.doralhw.org or visit us at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11212 to book an appointment. At Doral Health and Wellness – Women’s Health Center, we have the best GYN doctor in Brooklyn, and we provide women with quality health care services. You can also visit our website at https://doralhw.org/department/gynecology/
