Ovarian Cysts - Women's Health Message Board

LittlePenguin08 · 09-07-2008, 09:36 PM

Hello,

I had a miscarriage in early August, and about 4 weeks later, during a follow-up ultrasound for my miscarriage, they found a "simple cyst" on my left ovary that is 5.8 x 4.2 x 5.4cm.

Now, not only am I scared about having possible retained, left over tissue from my miscarriage, I am also scared to death about this simple cyst thing...like what if it affects my future fertility?! My periods were always regular and I never had much cramps before. I guess my miscarriage process isn't entirely complete so I am not ovulating, and as a result a cysts grows when I don't ovulate...?

What is usually done for a cyst of this size? I don't really any pain at all, just bleeding (I don't know if it's my miscarriage bleeding or the cyst causing the bleeding?). This is so confusing and frightening.

LilliTN · 09-08-2008, 12:18 PM

I had one about this size. A simple, functional cyst with a small amount of fluid in that same area. I had no idea and it was found during an exam and then sized during an ultrasound after. I was not feeling any symptoms from it. We waited 30 days and then did a f/u ultrasound and it was gone and the fluid had been absorbed. Because there was already some fluid in the abdomen at discovery perhaps it had been there for a few months and was already starting to decrease in size. I had been told it can take a few months for them to disappear when they are large. Regardless, if mine had not resolved on its own they were talking surgery. I did not feel any pain in the month it was resolving either though some people do.

So if they tell you to hang on and watch it rather than surgery don't be surprised.

estria · 09-09-2008, 03:08 AM

Hello Lilli,

Last September (2007) I began to have irregular bleeding and pelvic pain so I decided to go off the birth control pill that I had been on for the past 20 years. The bleeding went away and I became regular again BUT in an ultrasound that they did they found a 7.6 x 5.3 x 6.7 cm cyst on my left ovary.

Since it was a simple cyst we waited and they told me it would go away. I had ultrasounds three, six and now twelve months later and the cyst is still there. They said it is the same size size even though now it measures 7.8 x 5.1 x 7.6 cm. There is even a tiny spot of calicification in one area that is barely visible but they tell me that this sometimes happens when a cyst has been there for a long time. They are still NOT recommending surgery and I am scheduled for ultrasounds every six months to keep an eye on it. All of my doctors (and I have seen my own general practitioner, a gynecologist, two radiologists and in order to be absolutely sure two other gynecologists .. one being a gynecological oncologist and another who did an internal ultrasound) say that it is a benign growth.

I experience pain during ovulation which can be controlled with or without ibuprofen. Other than that I don't even know that the cyst is there.

I do not think that the cyst will affect your fertility because you have another ovary that can take over. My sister in law had a huge 12 cm complex cyst that they had to remove and they ended up taking her ovary with it. She was still able to get pregnant and have a child with the remaining ovary. We have millions of eggs in each of our ovaries and when one ovary is not functioning the other will take over for it.

More than likely they will recommend that you do a follow up ultrasound in about three months time to see if the cyst is gone and if it is not they may give you the choice of having it removed with laparoscopic surgery. If a cyst grows to around 10 cm or more though, the morphology of the cyst is no longer important (ie. what it looks like) and they will remove it. Laparoscopic surgery consists of three holes, one in your belly button and two more on either side. The belly button hole has a light inserted into it and something that blows in air and the two other holes have instruments inserted into them which are used to remove the cyst (and the ovary if it is too damaged). If the cyst persists they may also recommend you take a CA-125 test as they did with me. This tests checks for a certain cancer antigen that is often present in ovarian cancer. However this test is extremely unreliable. My sister in law had a high CA-125 with her 12 cm cyst and she was terrified. However it turned out to be a benign cyst. In my case my CA-125 was 7, well within the normal range. I suppose I should be reassured but this test is so unreliable I don't trust it.

At the moment they are testing a new OvC test called Ovasure which looks at CA-125 and a few other markers together to see how these results can provide information. The gynecological association think it is still too early to guage its success despite the fact that the creators of the test say that its accuracy is 99% (quite amazing).

More than likely in your case your cyst will go away in a few cycles. Are you by any chance on fertility drugs ? These can definitely overstimulate the ovaries and cause larger than normal cysts. Speak to your doctor about your options but I suspect that he will recommend watchful waiting. As unnerving as this is, do it. The cyst will probably resolve by itself.

Take care and all the best.

Estria

grattenbury · 09-09-2008, 08:27 AM

Hi Estria
I hope you remember my posts. Post meno bleed. Had the hysteroscopy and d&c all clear just atrophic change. Just been today to see about the cysts on each ovary after 3 months stayed the same size just 12mm. CA125 came back normal but I am still worried ! What will it take for me to just forget it. The radio oligist said they will just not do anything now unless I get any thing else happen. Hope you are keeping well.
Gilly

LittlePenguin08 · 09-09-2008, 08:37 AM

I went to my obstetrician yesterday and she told me to not worry about the cyst and the main concern now is the possible retained products from my miscarriage 5 weeks ago. I guess it is not that big of a deal (hopefully). She actually did not even discuss about the cyst other than "don't worry about the cyst"...

So I guess her suggestion is watchful waiting...

Now I am just being paranoid everytime I sneeze because I am freaked out that it might rupture my cyst.

I am not and I was not on any fertility drugs or treatment. I did have a miscarriage 5 weeks ago though, and the cyst appeared 3 weeks after my miscarriage. Maybe the cyst is a result of not ovulating after my miscarriage or something...I don't know.