…I took the meds, I was picked up with roses and chocolates and cards and everything went well. I never had any surgeries, the meds worked really well but those were three months of literal hell and unprecedented pains and blood clots. I could have sworn celibacy as well after the scares at the doctor! I am glad that I got well. In some cases, cysts persist and medications do not suffice. This goes out to you queens out there who are still battling with cysts, in whatever form. You shall overcome.…
What is a cyst? A cyst is an abnormal, usually noncancerous growth filled with fluid or semisolid substance, sometimes causing pain. There are various examples of cysts and they include, epidermoid cyst, sebaceous cyst, pillar cyst, baker’s cyst, ovarian cyst and many more. Our focus will be on the ovarian cyst. An ovarian cyst is a large fluid-filled sac that can develop within or in the ovary. A cyst may be formed by a single sac and this is called a unilocular cyst or it may be formed by multiple sacs and this is called the multilocular cyst. It can occur on one ovary, which is the unilateral ovarian cyst or it can occur on both ovaries, which is then called the bilateral ovarian cyst.
Types of ovarian cysts. There are many types of ovarian cysts but we shall narrow down to the two major types. These are; the Functional cysts and the Pathological cysts. The Functional cyst occurs in the normal menstrual cycle of a woman. This one starts as a follicular cyst which contains the egg. The follicular cyst then increases in size to about 2 cm during which ovulation will occur. Upon ovulation, the cyst will then convert into another cyst called the corpus luteum cyst whose main function is to produce a hormone called progesterone which will support the pregnancy if a woman falls pregnant. The role of the corpus luteum cyst depends on whether or not fertilization takes place. Sometimes, cysts can form in a corpus luteum which can lead to painful symptoms. These cysts can go away on their own but some may require treatment. If the lady does not fall pregnant, the corpus luteum cyst will disappear and the menstrual cycle will follow.
The aforementioned are functional cysts which are normal and in most cases do not require to be treated. A Pathological cyst on the other hand, is an abnormal cyst that occurs in the ovary. It can develop from the different tissues in the ovary and hence is abnormal and has to be treated. There are four common types of the pathological cysts. The first one and the most common is the endometriotic cyst which is a cyst that is fluid filled with a brownish stale blood, sometimes referred to as the chocolate cyst. This is what I was diagnosed with. The other three are: the dermoid cyst, mucinous cystadenoma and the serous cystadenoma.
What are the signs and symptoms of ovarian cysts? Majority of cysts are actually asymptomatic. However, a patient will develop symptoms when the cyst becomes too large, ruptures or gets infected. The most common symptom is pain, extreme pain, which is caused by a distraction of flow of blood to the ovary by the cyst. In case of an infection of the cyst, there may be fever. There are also pressure symptoms which include; bowel retention, urinary frequency, urinary retention and bowel symptoms. The other symptoms are dysmenorrhea, which is painful menstruation, there is also painful intercourse caused by deposits of endometriosis at the back of the uterus, there is also abnormal menstruation, which may entail abnormal bleeding for long periods of time and lastly tenesmus which is the feeling of passing motion despite an empty colon. These symptoms are however not exhaustive.
How is a cyst diagnosed? The first way of diagnosing a cyst is the physical examination which is not a certain diagnosis and hence it has to be followed by screening which entails pelvic and abdominal examination. The other way is, ultrasound scans as mentioned in the preceding article. The ultrasound is very important because it informs the gynecologist of the size, site and nature of the cyst. The other tests are the CT Scan and the CA 125 Blood Test.
Treatment of ovarian cysts. Some cysts go away by themselves however at times treatment is needed. Treatment depends on the nature and size of the ovarian cyst and the symptoms that the patient presents. For most of the cysts, their growth rate is monitored and treatment is done once they exceed 5cm in diameter. However, for endometriotic cysts, even the smallest in size are treated because they can be very painful and cause a threat to fertility. Patients with large ovarian cysts that are an ovarian cancer threat definitely have to be treated. In treatment of ovarian cysts, at times, medication is offered to break down the cyst which then bleeds out like the normal menses and then if this fails, one proceeds to the surgical procedure. However, the most effective treatment is removal of the cyst by a surgical procedure. The surgical methods are; laparoscopy and laparotomy. The laparoscopy is what is used by most gynaes and it is more advantageous, in that, it leaves a small scar and is less painful as compared to laparotomy. The laparotomy however has to be done for cysts which are very large, have solid tumors and those that have malignant potential.
I believe that my above piece has captured what is common, what is important and what you need to know about cysts. As regards other types of cysts, I think we can have a discussion on cysts in the forum section of the blog which is much more informal and casual as we discuss on other experiences and reproductive health complications of anyone. Feel free to participate in the forum actively by contributing or commenting on the discussions. Comments about this piece are welcome in the comment section below. If you have any questions, contact me through the Chat option on the lower right section of the screen. As always, share widely, you may never know who you help through this. Thank you!