I've been sent from doctor to doctor for months now because of a long list of symptoms. I had a vaginal US in November and they found a complex cyst on my left ovary. An abdominal/pelvic CT scan a month later shows that the cyst has grown to 4cm. At first, I thought this finding was incidental, but now I am wondering if it is connected to my symptoms and starting to get nervous ... Even though I am only 29, I can't stop worrying about OVCA. The CT scan also revealed gallstones, but I do not have right quadrant pain.


Daily Symptoms:
Nausea, diarrhea, night sweats, loss of appetite, feeling full quickly, unintentional weight loss (20 pounds in 3 months), frequent urination, pelvic/abdominal tenderness

I had colon polyps removed a couple of years ago. Following up with a GI doc in a couple of weeks. I do have some family history of cancer. My grandmother had breast cancer at 36.

Thoughts, suggestions? My gyn said I would probably want to have the cyst removed. I was planning to wait until February when I have a break from school (I am a high school counselor), but I think I am just going to stress about it if I wait that long.

I keep reading about the CA125 test being unreliable. Does anyone think it would be helpful for me to have it done?

Hi,

I was diagnosed with a 4-cm complex, solid cyst on my left ovary and a 4-cm functional cyst on my right ovary back in August. I'm having laparoscopic surgery to remove both ovaries Dec. 19. (I'm an assistant professor at a community college, and like you, I had to wait for a break between semesters to have the surgery.)

I have almost identical symptoms as you, except for the night sweats. My doctor, a gyn/oncologist who I was seeing for cervical carcinoma in situ, feels that the symptoms are caused by the cysts and that they aren't cancerous. (Though I don't see how he can tell that just from an ultrasound. From what I understand, only a biopsy can tell if a tumor is cancerous or not.)

You might want to have a CA125, just to be on the safe side, though, as you say, the results aren't always accurate. You also might want to see a gyn/oncologist for a second opinion.

Good luck with everything.

Hugs,

Lisa

I will try to put you both at ease ALTHOUGH {caps due to my not knowing any other way to emphasize or spell either ha ha} but my daughter who is 14 now had a large ovarian "mass" which was 7 cm that caused her to go from 104 lbs to 84 when she was 11. We thought it was due to her spinal tap from the year before and she hadn't gotten over it, also meds she was on. Well her Neurology dr ordered a Kidney US to check for stones and not only did she need kidney surgery, that's another story, but she had this mass. Well both the Urology dr and The Gyn Onc Dr both said the 20 lb weight loss was due to thier problem , she had both surgeries and it took over a year for her to gain the weight back as she still has the nausea due to her congenital brain defect> She is an honor student! The mass was benign , long story short even though everyone even the radiology dr thought it was a Teratoma which is maliginant espically in her age group. Of course EVERYONE is different so don't go by what I have said, I am only relating my daughter's story. I hope your{both} surgeries go well and have good outcomes.

B

Hello Jules,

I think that Shashi is right. Why not have the CA-125 test anyway.

I have a 7.5 cm simple fluid filled ovarian cyst on my left ovary which, as of Nov 19th, had been sitting there unchanged for a couple of months (my next US is scheduled for February). Although both my gynecologist and general practitioner said that the cyst did not look dangerous and was most likely benign (my gyne said that it was a benign serous cyst), they suggested that I have the CA-125 test done as an extra measure. My gyne said that although the test is not a good general screening tool for OVCA due to its unreliability, if the test results come out sky high, then this would tell you that it is time to take action. I went and had it done and my result was 7 (anything under 35 is considered normal) so this has reassured me a little. Since I had read that the number may be slightly more elevated during your menses, I went when I was not on my period. Don't know if it made a difference but better safe than sorry.

In addition to keeping an eye on the cyst with US, perhaps you should also consider at least getting a biopsy of the it. This will give you definite results and put your mind at ease. However, since your quality of life is being affected by these symptoms you mention, you may simply want to have it completely removed. A laparoscopy is a day surgery with about a week recovery time. If you have any vacation days available to you, you can always use them now. It would mean better health sooner, both mental and physical.

Take care and all the best to you.

Estria

Hi,
Over the past two years, I have had complex cyst's on both ovaries measuring anything from 2-4.5 cm. It seemed I was getting ultrasounds every 3-4 months for two years. It was very frustrating - a cyst would go away, but a new one would be there- sometimes they would linger over 6 months or more. My GYN said I could remove my ovaries, but suggested I just keep an eye on them because they were small , and did resolve eventually.
I think if they were bigger, and gave me bad symptoms, I would have wanted to remove something.
Anyway, I had my last ultrasound in August, and I had no cysts and normal ovaries and uterus. So for me waiting it out paid off, but I could have had surgury if I insisited.
I also had the CA125 test 4 times and they were all normal - although they were always close to 35 (24-34), which did make me nervous at times.

I would suggest having the CA125 - even though some doctors won't use it, as it's not always a reliable marker. It can be elevated for benign reasons.

Good Luck and Happy Holidays.

marymk