Medically Verified By: Dr. Ramakrishna Reddy
Ovaries, an essential part of the female reproductive system, produce eggs or ova and secrete both oestrogen and progesterone. These hormones are responsible for the development of the female body and regulate the menstrual cycle; moreover, they play an important part in pregnancy. In the ovaries, cysts are small sac-like structures that might contain water, gas or semi-solid substances and might not necessarily represent a tumour. Ovarian cysts can be physiological, benign or malignant. Often, these cysts seem to be asymptomatic and remain tucked in the organ without showing any signs or symptoms. A woman might not even know that she has developed cysts until it is too late and requires urgent treatment. Not all cysts require a surgical procedure.
Ovarian cysts can happen because of a number of reasons and are of different types. The four different types of ovarian cysts that affect women are listed below:
Physiological cysts: Physiological cysts spontaneously resolve over the time course and might come back during the next menstrual cycle to meet the same fate. If the cysts do not dissolve on their own and grow beyond 3–5 cm, they are termed as cystic. These are divided further into two main types, namely,
Follicular cysts - During the menstrual cycle, a follicular cyst forms when the follicle grows larger in size and does not open to release the egg.
Benign cysts - A benign cyst arises when the tissues of the ovary abnormally develop to form other body tissues such as hair or teeth. A benign cyst that grows beyond 5 cm can be risky. It can rotate on its own axis and can cause discomfort such as pain and internal bleeding, which could lead to an emergency.
Malignant cysts – Generally, these occur from the epithelium or lining cells of the ovary. At times, these cysts might not show any symptom of severity and are only noticed when the condition has reached a threatening limit.
Endometriosis - This happens because of a condition called endometriosis in which the cells that normally grow within the uterus to form its lining start to grow outside it or at other locations.
Often, ovarian cysts produce no symptoms at its onset. At times, there can be signs that could indicate a problem within:
Pain in the abdomen: When a cyst is present in the ovary, women usually complain about abdominal pain, which can be because of a rupture of the cyst, rapid growth, bleeding of the cyst or because of torsion, i.e. if it rotates on its own axis.
Menstrual abnormalities: It might be tough to gauge the presence of cysts because of menstrual irregularities or abnormalities because it could be indicative of other health conditions. However, with cysts, it is usually possible that you may experience delayed periods, heavy bleeding because of a rupture of cyst or you may suffer from dysmenorrheal or painful bleeding because of endometriosis. There can be many reasons that could lead to menstrual irregularities.
Pain in the genitals: ‘With a condition such as endometriosis, one can experience some pain in the rectum area during menstruation. Moreover, it can be painful during sexual intercourse,’ says Dr Mehta. If a cyst presses on the urinary bladder, it can lead to painful urination or urine retention. Genital pains could indicate other problems.
Other physiological symptoms: Ovarian cysts can lead to abdominal swelling or fullness. If cysts interfere with hormone-producing capacity of ovaries, it can lead to facial hair growth.
An ovarian cyst can be diagnosed in the following manner:
A physical examination: If you experience any of these symptoms, your doctor might first perform a physical examination.
Ultrasound: An ultrasound is the best approach to determine the position, size and severity of a cyst present anywhere on the ovaries.
CT scan: No CT scan should be performed in women of reproductive age because the dose of X-ray is so high and overwhelming that it will render the women sterile for life. A CT can be performed to differentiate a benign cyst from the malignant one to assure the right treatment.
Blood test: A CA-125 marker test is performed to verify for the potentiality of cancer because of an ovarian cyst. CA-125 blood testing can be used as a marker of ovarian cancer; however, it does not always represent cancer. It may be normal in the presence of malignancy. CA-125 is a protein that is higher in the bloodstream of ~80% of women with advanced ovarian cancer. If the report indicates the chance of a cancerous cyst, additional screening for cancer is recommended.
The treatment of ovarian cyst depends on three factors: age of women, size of cyst, and its appearance on ultrasound.
Medical observation: If a woman is in her early 40s or younger with regular menstrual cycles, most cysts developed such as follicular cysts or corpus luteum would be physiological in nature. Usually, they do not have any medical consequences and would disappear on their own. For women in their 20s and 30s, these cysts are observed for some time to confirm if they disappear on their own. Benign cysts are usually closely monitored unless they call for emergency attention such as surgery. Benign ovarian cysts of smaller sizes appear and disappear without symptoms. Large benign cysts cause pressure on pelvic organs, especially bladder; if they have a longer stalk that occasionally develop torsion, which is a surgical emergency.
Depending on diagnostic criteria, persisting ovarian cysts around 40 require regular follow-up and intervention. Malignant cysts require intensive treatment intervention to prevent spread and manage as dictated by the condition.
Surgery: Both malignant and benign tumor would require surgical intervention. If a benign tumor ruptures and bleeds, it would call for an emergency. If diagnosis shows the presence of a malignant tumor or cyst, a surgery is recommended to stop the spread of this condition. Usually, a cyst is laproscopically removed after complete examination and requisite tests are performed to determine its severity. Extirpation (removal) of both ovaries is controversial but clinical condition is the best guide; the pill has no role to play.
Certain doctors may surgically recommend removing one or both of the ovaries, particularly if the cyst is malignant or there are difficulties in separating the cyst from the ovarian tissue. However, removing both ovaries can negatively impact girls of childbearing age because this will automatically lead to menopause and prevent them from having babies.
Birth control pills can be used for treating ovarian cysts; however, they are not effective in treating functional cysts.
There are two possible complications associated with ovarian cysts.
No known prevention exists for ovarian cysts.
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Para-ovarian cysts occur rarely in young girls but they often grow large as no routine sonographies are performed in this population group.
Because of lack of awareness about ovarian cancer and myths surrounding it, many women with this cancer remain undiagnosed, leading to the progression of the disease.
Ovarian cysts and PCOS are conditions with many common symptoms. As a result, many women often confuse the two and believe they have PCOS when they do not.
Regular exercise and right food can help reduce the severity of PCOD symptoms like abdominal weight gain, irregular periods, male pattern hair loss and infertility.
Dr Veena cautions that during this period a lot of health issues and complaints are seen among women
Arti Adhikary had huge tumors in her ovaries. At the moment, Arti's condition is stable but she is kept under observation for the next 48 hours.
Shocking! 132-pound ovarian tumor was removed from the woman's abdomen. Read on to know further...
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A cure for PCOD going the homeopathy way might not be a possibility, but it can definitely help you to deal with the condition greatly.
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