reoccuring complex cysts, greater risk of ovarian cancer?

Question

Hello Dr, let me start out by saying thank you for taking the time to read this.  I will give you a bit of history.  I had my son in Jan 05.  In September of 05 i had been having a little pain on lower left side, then one say woke up in the am to a sudden sharp shooting unbearable pain that lasted for almost 1 1/2 hours.  I went to the ER and the ultrasound showed 4cm complex cyst or cystic mass with some fluid, i felt bloated and icky for a few days then felt fine.  I had followed up with my DR and given a six week waiting period, follow up ultrasound showed everything was gone.  Then, in Jan 06, i experienced the same thing, a sharp shooting pain, went to the ER, found a 3cm complex cyst again on left ovary ( only this report said something about hemmorhagic cysts) and some fluid, again, floolowed up, 6 week ultrasound showed cysts was gone, but i had a dominant follicle on the right ovary that the DR said was normal.  Now, the strange thing is that I am on birth control pills.  Now i am starting to feel uneasy about a new cyst forming.  I have no family history of OVCA, and I am 25 years 
old with 2 children.  My questions are,

1) Is it possible that I am havinbg reoccuring hemmorhagic cysts, even though im on birth control??
2) does the fact that i keep getting cysts on the same ovary a sign of ovarian cancer? If it is cancer would it keep going away and coming back like that?
3) what should I do if i feel i have a new cyst? can anything keep it from rupturing and causing me that pain?

Thank you so much again for your time.
Toni

akg · Answer

Hi There,
I compeltely agree with your doc! No need for follow up scans once normal. This should not affect fertility. It sounds like you are in good hands!
take care.

ziggysgrl0724 · Answer

Thank You for answering my questions Dr.  To answer yours, now I am feeling ok, I feel a little crampy on my left side but i had this right after i had my last ultrasound (which was in March of 2006) and it went away. Do u think I should be having ultrasounds for monitering purposes?  My GYN said that as long as my follow up Ultrasounds re normal then i donnt need to follow up again. I recently have given the thought to having another baby, and am concerned with my fertility at this point.  I keep thinking its only a matter of time before this costs me an ovary.  My Dr talked about switching to a higher dose of BCP if this happens again, right now I am on the generic for ortho cyclene...i believ its called monoessa.  If I were your patient would this be the same approch you would take?  is it likely that if this were a type of cancer my cyst would come and go?  my Dr said no, that cancer doesnt just go away and come back or get smaller and then bigger and so forth, is this correct??  Thank you again for your time and knowledge!!!

A.K. Goodman, MD · Answer

Hi Toni,
You ask good questions! You are on the birth control pill. You have had two episodes of pain and a cyst on your left ovary in a year. (Did I understand that correctly?) My question to you is: how are you right now? When was your most recent pelvic ultrasound? 
The birth control pill does suppress ovulation but women can still get ovarian cysts that come and go. This suggests that the pill does not completely suppress ovulation and that there is another mechanism for why the pill is a good contraceptive.
It could be that the two ovarian cysts that you have had on your left ovary are related or it could be that it is purely random and coincidence that both cysts were on the same ovary. Your experience does not put you at higher risk for ovarian cancer.

Having an ovarian cyst rupture sure can be a painful and sometimes scary experience. The Pill is the best intervention that we know to do. Best wishes.

reoccuring complex cysts, greater risk of ovarian cancer?

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