WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT OVARIAN CYST

‘’Good girls have fibroid while bad girls have an ovarian cyst’’. That’s one of the terrible myths I heard in medical college. The myth is untrue. With the rampant news about ovarian cyst cases, a lot of people think it is another form of STI/STD for women. No, it is not. It has got nothing to do with that. Just like everyone has experienced a growth in different parts of their body at a point in their lives, that’s the same way growths occur on the ovary too. Let’s quickly have an overview of ovarian cyst. Don’t worry about the medical jargons, it will be simplified.

Every woman has two ovaries. The ovaries are the two organs that look like beans found on both sides of the uterus (which is the womb). Its job is to make eggs (called ova) for fertilization and produce hormones (oestrogen and progesterone). When a small sac-like mass (or structure) filled with fluid grows in the ovary it is called ovarian cyst. It can affect either one of the ovary or both ovaries. Most ovarian cysts are benign. This means that they are not cancerous and are painless with little or no symptoms. Only in rare cases do ovarian cysts become cancerous, but more common in menopausal women. Ovarian cysts are common during the years of childbearing and it is detected during routine pelvic examination. Further examination is done through Ultrasound, CT scans (Computerized Tomography Scan) and MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) to determine the size, location, shape and composition (fluid, blood or solid filled) of the cyst. Ovarian cysts often develop for no apparent reason, especially in women who have monthly periods. The question floating in someone’s mind is if the ovarian cyst affects fertility. The truth is that ovarian cyst does not prevent one from getting pregnant, but can make conception difficult. Surgery involving the removal of the ovaries can affect fertility since the ovaries which produce the eggs have been removed.

There are different types of ovarian cyst which are determined by their causes. We will look at the various ovarian cysts that exist.

Functional Cyst: These are harmless cysts that are formed as part of the menstrual cycle and they disappear after a few months. During ovulation, hormones (estrogen and progesterone) are produced by the follicle and eggs released.  When the follicle keeps growing it forms a cyst. The two types of functional cysts are follicular cyst and corpus luteum cyst. The follicular cyst happens when the egg is unable to burst out of the follicle and move down the fallopian tube for fertilization but instead grows and turns into a cyst. The corpus luteum cyst occurs when the egg is trapped in the follicle and fluid begins to accumulate inside the follicle causing it to expand to form a cyst.

Endometriomas: These types of cyst occur as a result of endometriosis. This is when pieces of the tissues that line the womb (endometrium) grow outside the womb. It can grow in the fallopian tubes, ovaries, bladder, vagina, bowel or rectum. This can very painful and can affect fertility.

Dermoid cyst: This type of cyst contains tissues similar to that found in other parts of the body like the hair, skin and teeth.

Cystadenomas: These types of cysts are formed out of cells on the surface of the ovary and are filled with watery liquid or a mucous material.

Poly Cystic Ovaries Syndrome (PCOS): In this case, many small cysts grow on the ovaries. The follicles in which the eggs normally mature fail to open and cyst is formed. They cause a hormonal imbalance which affects the monthly periods and makes it difficult to get pregnant.

Often times, ovarian cysts do not result in any symptom, but symptoms may appear as the cyst grows. Likely symptoms include:

1.       Pelvic pain before or during menstrual cycle.

2.       Abnormal bleeding.

3.       Pain in the lower back or thighs.

4.       Pain during sexual intercourse.

5.       Vomiting and nausea.

6.       Abdominal bloating or swelling.

7.       Tenderness of the breast.

8.       Difficulty or pain while urinating.

9.       Loss of appetite.

10.   Painful bowel movement.

Sharp pelvic pain and rapid breathing could be experienced in severe cases where complications arise. Yes! Complications can arise from an ovarian cyst. The complications include: Ovarian torsion (this happens when a large cyst causes an ovary to twist and move from its original place, causing the blood supply to the ovary to cut off) and Rupture (when an ovarian cyst burst causing intense pains and internal bleeding which can lead to infection).

Prevention, they say, is better than cure. The best prevention from ovarian cyst and its complications is early detection. Visit your doctor regularly for a routine pelvic examination. However, the treatment of ovarian cyst depends on the symptoms, size, or appearance. Large cyst and those with severe symptoms need to be surgically removed. Functional cysts need no treatment as they disappear over the months of the menstrual cycles. But if it does not disappear or keeps increasing in size, then treatment is administered. Most treatments are through surgery.