Ovarian cysts

Ovarian Cysts

What is the ovary? What is ovulation (ovulation)?

The ovaries are the female reproductive organs that are connected to the main uterus (uterus) in the pelvic cavity (pelvis) through tubes (tuba). In healthy women, “eggs” are released from the ovaries in certain periods of each month. This event is called ovulation. Ovulation in women is usually between the 11th and 16th of the menstrual cycle. happens between days. If these eggs meet with sperm and fertilization occurs, pregnancy occurs. If it does not meet with sperm, it is thrown out of the body with the effect of some hormones with menstruation bleeding, which we call menstruation.

Ovarian cysts are a common condition. Ovarian cysts can cause pain or a feeling of fullness or swelling in the abdomen, sometimes there are no complaints and are detected incidentally during the examination. Most of these cysts are functional or benign masses. Rarely, an ovarian cyst shows a malignant character (malignant).

What complaints do ovarian cysts cause?

Most women with ovarian cysts have no complaints. Most of them are detected incidentally during routine gynecological examinations with ultrasound or in abdominal imaging methods taken for other reasons. The most common complaints are:

• Pelvic pain: It can be on the side of the cyst, blunt or sharp, intermittent or during certain activities.

• Pain during sexual intercourse

• Swelling

• menstrual irregularities

• feeling of fullness

• frequent urination

• Pain that increases with some activities: During intercourse, with bowel movements

• pain in the breast

• Pressure on the bladder, frequent urination

• Constipation

We divide ovarian cysts into 2 main groups:

1-Functional ovarian cysts

• They are the most common ovarian cysts. They are often benign and self-limiting. Prepared to ovulate, the egg is in a sac called a ‘follicle’. Sometimes the follicle develops but does not release the egg inside, so there is no ovulation. Instead, it grows into a cyst. This is called a ‘follicle cyst’.

• If pregnancy occurs after ovulation, the follicle from which that egg is released may remain in that egg as a cyst for months. This is also called ‘corpus luteum cyst’.

2-Pathological ovarian cysts

Most of this group is benign.

• Dermoid cysts: These ovarian cysts, also called ‘teratoma’, are benign cysts that are frequently seen in young women between the ages of 20-30. The most interesting aspect is that they can contain different tissues such as teeth, hair, hair or adipose tissue. Dermoid cysts can be congenital and grow in reproductive age. They have the potential to develop pelvic pain, abdominal distension, tension, torsion, infection and, rarely, cancer (1,4-2%). Since the risk of rupture of dermoid cysts may create a septic picture, they may need to be surgically removed depending on their size.

• Cystadenoma: These cysts originate from the outer surface of the ovary and can grow to very large sizes. They are often benign cysts.

• Cancer: The rate of malignant cancer in ovarian cysts is 1%. It is frequently seen in menopausal women or those with a family history of ovarian cancer. Tumors formed by the uncontrolled proliferation of ovarian cells. The most important reason for late diagnosis of ovarian cancer and delayed treatment is that it does not cause any significant complaints during the onset of the disease. Moreover, women do not have routine examinations at the beginning. While there are no symptoms, in the later stages of the disease, loss of appetite and excessive weight loss, abdominal pain, swelling in the abdomen and shortness of breath can be seen. If the disease is diagnosed early, the survival rate is high.

• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), which can be seen in one of every 10 women, is an important ovulation problem that is thought to be of genetic origin.

While two ovaries in a healthy woman’s body develop a mature egg that is suitable for fertilization in one menstrual period, the ovaries that cannot be fertilized in most of the patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome are seen in the form of many sacs containing eggs in ultrasound.

• Endometrioma (Chocolate cyst): The growth of the tissue lining the inside of the uterus (endometrium) outside the uterus is called ‘endometriosis’. The endometriotic focus in the ovary turns into a ‘chocolate cyst (endometrioma)’ that bleeds over time. The risk of these cysts turning into ovarian cancer is below 1%. infertility) is a concomitant disease.

• Hemorrhagic (Bleeding) Cyst: Hemorrhagic cyst mostly occurs during the ovulation period and heals spontaneously without any intervention. The frequently asked question of what a hemorrhagic cyst means is briefly answered as the inward bleeding of the existing cyst. These cysts are common in people who cannot conceive naturally and therefore undergo ovarian treatment. In addition, the use of blood thinners can also cause hemorrhagic cysts.

How Are Ovarian Cysts Diagnosed?

Ovarian cysts are often detected during a routine examination by abdominal or vaginal ultrasonography.

While these cysts can be understood to be benign or malignant with gynecological examination and ultrasonography, sometimes Magnetic Resonance (MR) imaging may be required in addition to examination and ultrasonography, and some tumor markers may be checked with blood analysis.

How to treat ovarian cysts?

Although surgery usually brings to mind first, the treatment of cysts does not always require an operation. In fact, they usually disappear with simple drug treatments or spontaneously. For the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cyst, they can apply to YALOVA PRIVATE HOSPITAL and Op. Dr. You can make an appointment with Gülcan Akalan.

The need for treatment in ovarian cysts is determined according to the following criteria:

-The size of the cyst and its ultrasound appearance

– Whether it causes a complaint

– Whether you are in menopause

1-Follow-up: Most ovarian cysts regress spontaneously in a few months. The cyst is followed up with ultrasound at regular intervals. The cyst may remain the same, regress or even disappear.

The risk of ovarian cancer increases with advancing age, especially at menopause. However, cysts can be followed in patients with thin walls, smaller than 5 cm, and normal Ca-125 levels on ultrasonography.

2-Medicine Treatment: Birth control pills

3-Surgery: Situations that may require surgery include:

– Ovarian cyst in menopause

-Cysts that do not regress and cysts that grow

-Abnormal findings on ultrasound

-The cyst causes pain

The type of surgery to be performed (open or closed (Laparoscopy)) is determined by the size of the cyst, your age, your desire to have a child, and your family history of breast or ovarian cancer.

Do ovarian cysts make it harder to conceive?

Generally, ovarian cysts do not prevent conception, but two conditions in particular adversely affect a woman’s fertility:

• Endometriosis

• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

DON’T IGNORE YOUR ROUTINE CONTROLS FOR EARLY DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT!!