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Avatar universal

Unclear symptoms - should risk surgery?

I am in a dilemma because of the "whispering" element of oc.
I have a 1.7cm complex cyst on my left ovary that was there in an Oct ultrasound, and again early January - size hasn't changed more then .1 or .2 of a cm.
My CA-125 is normal (don't know the exact number).
I am experiencing fairly persistant bloating, feeling of fullness, pain on my right abdomen/into back, more constipated then normal, feeling generally fatigued - but not severely (and hard to separate from other life factors).
On paper, I'm a relatively low risk oc candidate - I'm 41,  don't have an oc family history (father diagnosed with colon cancer last year), had 2 kids who I breastfed for 8months each, on the pill for several years in my 20's.
I saw a gyn on Monday who said that this falls into a category of "not being able to elminate" rather then "suspect" oc.  The choices are now "wait and see" or "take out the ovary".
I don't need the ovary ;-) but don't want to risk surgery unneccesarily.  I also don't know how much 'waiting' will make a difference if it IS oc.
Any opinions from those in the medical know, or with experience with similar symptoms would be appreciated!

thanks...
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Avatar universal
I have generally high pain tolerance... to things I understand aren't hurting me...
So if there was no lurking background fear that this could be oc, I could easily tolerate the discomfort - it's not really that bad, just pretty persistent and alarming.  So if given the choice of surgery (even minor with a scope) to get rid of the symptoms I'm having - I wouldn't have it.  The only real impact to my quality of life is the worry...

I have another US Feb 20th - At this point I've decided - if it's smaller - no surgery for now.  If it's larger then 1.9cm (.2cm larger then last measurement), I'll go ahead with the surgery.  If it's the same size... not sure...

thanks so much for taking the time to respond!
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Avatar universal
You might want to consider the symptoms you're having right now and how they are affecting your life. You've had them for several months already and you may experience them for several months more.  Even if there wasn't a risk for OC how bad would you want something done about your cyst?
I don't really know what your situation is, but in general removing a cyst at your stage is a much simpler procedure than treating OC. Even if it's just a 'risk prevention' type thing, it might be a good idea to consider the surgery.
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Avatar universal
Actually, the current medical belief is that colon cancer does have a  'relational nature' to ovarian cancer.

Unless you have other health conditions that would make surgery imperil your life, then you might give more consideration to surgery.  Also, if you have not already sought a second opinion, then you might seek that option as well.
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