History of Ovarian Cysts - Having Pain Currently - Cancer: Cervical & Ovarian Message Board

Mommy2Baz · 11-04-2008, 12:15 PM

Hi,

I'm 29 (about to turn 30 - blah!) and have a 7 y/o son. I have a history of ovarian cysts (was dx'd with them in college, however all went away on their own) and was also dx'd with dysplasia right after I had my son, however had a colposcopy and then a normal pap after about a year (no further problems since then).

I have been having pain in the area of my ovary for about 3 weeks now, but since it began during my cycle I didn't think too much about. However, since it has continued and is now a constant ache, I made an appt with my OB/GYN and go on Thursday of this week. I have also been told I have IBS, due to constant issues with gas, nausea and bowel changes. Naturally after reading up on ovarian cancer, I can say that my symptoms fit, but that thankfully they are also fairly common symptoms for so many other things.

My mother is a breast cancer survivor (she was pre-menopausal when dx'd) and she also had an ovary removed when she was in her 20's, due to a large ovarian cyst. So I have some family history but am lucky enough to have a doctor who is great -- I've been having breast u/s and mammogram yearly since I was 26, per my doc's suggestion. I also had a benign fibroadenoma removed about a year and a half ago from my right breast.

I guess I'm just posting today to get this all off my chest. Having seen my Mom go through breast cancer (and sharing some medical issues with her to date), the "C" word is SO scary to me. I am sure that my pain is probably just a normal cyst and will hopefully go away on it's own, but the mind is a scary place sometimes!

Plus "googling" symptoms should be a no-no, haha!

Anyway, if you made it through my rambling post, thanks

I feel better after having just typed this!

estria · 11-05-2008, 04:26 AM

Hi mommy2baz,

Yes I agree that googling stuff is a very good way to scare the crap out of you. Try googling something common like a headache and you will get hits like brain tumour and stroke (!). Your gynecologist might recommend that you have an ultrasound if the pain continues. Since you have a history of ovarian cysts then guess what ? They may find another one. Hopefully if this is the case it will go away on its own like most do.

Persistent pelvic pain is definitely something you need to see your gyne about though so you are certainly on the right track. Many things besides cancer can cause this kind of pain including endometriosis, bowel issues such as IBS (that left ovary and the descending colon are in the same area and it is very difficult to distinguish pain between the two things), uterine fibroids etc.. The more common issues are much more likely to be the case that the extremely rare one (this makes sense right ?) so try not to freak out. Just hang in there until you have all of the facts in front of you.

Take care and let us know how your appointment goes next week.

Estria

Mommy2Baz · 11-05-2008, 06:36 AM

Thanks Estria, I appreciate your reply!

I'm trying not to freak out

The pain is pretty crappy today (and it's on my right side), so I'm glad I'll be seeing the doc tomorrow. I typically see the NP (whom I love) but when I called to make the appointment the receptionist set me up right away with one of the doc's, so that they can, if they want, do an u/s right away in the office.

I'll let you know tomorrow what's up!

What do you know about the CA125 blood test (is that what's it's called?) -- I wonder if that's something that at some point I should ask for, with the history of breast cancer in my Mom?

estria · 11-10-2008, 08:27 AM

Hi again,

Sorry for the delay in replying. The CA-125 is a biomarker for a cancer antigen that is supposed to be present in higher levels when ovarian cancer is present. HOWEVER, this biomarker alone is not always a conclusive test and the levels may be elevated for completely benign reasons such as endometriosis or even simply being on your period. As a result, the test alone is not recommended for screening women for ovarian cancer as it can be elevated when there is no cancer present and show normal when someone has early stage ovarian cancer. It does seem to be more accurate for menopausal women than for premenopausal women so they do tend to do it more often for women over the age of 50 with ovarian cysts.

When my cyst was discovered on an ultrasound they did do the test which came back at 7 (anything under 40 is considered normal). I was rather nervous about the test and made sure not to have it while on my period, just in case. My cyst is still there over a year later and they have not repeated the test so I think that they where more interested in the results when they were not sure what the cyst was. Now that the thing has been there for a while and does not seem to be causing any problems, I guess they figure it's OK (we will see on my next ultrasound in February what it looks like .. fingers crossed).

Speak to your doctor about it and see what he or she says. If your ultrasound shows a cyst, your doctor may suggest the test, although most cysts disappear on their own within a few cycles. I hope you get a resolution to this fairly soon as I know how worrying pain can be (sometimes this is actually worse than the pain itself).

Take care and all the best.

Estria