The presence of an ovarian cyst can cause concern and anxiety for many women. Fortunately, most cases are benign and resolve on their own, but if persistent, may need investigation or medical intervention.
Ovarian cysts are exceedingly common; most women will develop a cyst at some point in their lives, including during adolescence and up to post-menopause. The majority of these are asymptomatic and may only be discovered incidentally during investigation for another issue. Other cysts may cause symptoms requiring specialist treatment.
An ovarian cyst is a fluid-filled sac in an ovary, and is especially common in women of childbearing age. There are several different types of ovarian cysts with different causes:
An ovarian cyst may be diagnosed based on your presenting symptoms or found incidentally, such as during fertility testing. It is not always necessary to seek a formal diagnosis for an ovarian cyst if you are not experiencing any problems and there are no suspicious features of the cyst on ultrasound that suggest cancerous changes.
Most women with an ovarian cyst are asymptomatic. If symptoms are present, you may experience:
Uncommonly, an ovarian cyst can cause your ovary to twist. This ovarian torsion causes an abrupt cut-off of the ovary’s circulation, which can result in sudden abdominal pain that radiates to your back or sides, nausea and vomiting, swelling in your belly, and a fever.
The presence of an ovarian cyst can be confirmed with an ultrasound, usually performed transvaginally (through your vagina). This examination can also provide valuable information about the type and characteristics of the cyst. A repeat ultrasound is often required six weeks to three months after the initial scan to see if the cyst has self-resolved over time.
Additional tests may occasionally be required, including:
Most ovarian cysts will resolve on their own without any treatment. Dr Huang may recommend medical or surgical intervention if the cyst persists beyond three months, is particularly large or progressively getting larger, is causing you bothersome symptoms including infertility, or if there is a risk of malignancy.
Hormone therapies such as the oral contraceptive pill or other hormone medications more commonly used as contraception, can be prescribed to reduce the formation of new cysts. These treatments do not play a significant role in shrinking existing cysts.
Surgery is the treatment of choice for persistent or symptomatic cysts, as it is the most direct way to confirm the type of cyst and also provides a definitive treatment.
Most surgical treatments for ovarian cysts are performed via laparoscopy, a minimally-invasive endoscopic surgery involving two to four keyhole incisions in your abdomen. Surgical tools such as a long, thin camera known as a laparoscope are inserted via these incisions, as well as other instruments used for excision of the cyst. A laparoscopy is performed as a day procedure under general anaesthesia.
Some larger or more complex ovarian cysts may require open abdominal surgery known as a laparotomy. Open surgery requires a larger incision and a longer hospital stay after your operation.
Any surgical approach to treating ovarian cysts aims to remove only the cyst while leaving your ovary intact. However, if the cyst is very large or unable to be cleanly separated from the surrounding ovarian tissue, part or all of the ovary may need to be taken out.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Testing may help identify ovulation issues, hormone imbalances, ovarian reserve concerns and other factors affecting fertility.
