Right Ovarian Cyst - but told not big enought to cause symptoms (?)

I am a 31 yo female and have had 1 pregnancy (one child). In February, I had to get a Colonoscopy due to blood in stool (minor) and strong family history. The result was clear. Since then, my period has become spotty and irregular and I have developed a menstrual cramp feeling on my right pelvic area. I've also been having a feeling of fullness, fequency urinating, bloating, etc.

Doctor did an ultrasound and found a small cyst on my right ovary (the kind that comes and goes with ovulation). Blood work ordered was normal aside from white blood cells in my urine. I've had urinary tract infections before and I've had zero symptoms of a UTI - probably haven't had one in more than a year.

Doctor is not convinced that my cyst is large enough to cause the problems I am having. Therefore I had to get a CT scan, of which I am still waiting for results. Over the last week or so, my pain has become constant and my period his month was with heavy clotting (which is not normal for me) and then immediate spotting to nothing. Lasting a total of 4 or less days. Now, my pain is constant under my right rib cage and around towards my back.

What can I do to help this diagnosis move along and find some relief? Could it be just a cyst? It appears right now I am just in this limbo period of waiting for a result and, if my CT scan is normaly, what then??

[Elaine Brown, MD]

Hi!
If we do an ultrasound on 100 women, 85 of them will have a cyst on one or the other ovary.  If the cyst is 2 cm or less, its almost certainly NOT the culprit.  These cysts are simply follicles, and just don't produce that much pain.

The location of your symptoms makes me concerned about a kidney infection or stone, or a gallstone.  There again, ovaries are down low in the pelvis and unlikely to cause pain way up there.  I think your doctor is on the right track with the CT scan, as that should be able to diagnose either or both of those.

As far as your periods go, it sounds like you are not ovulating regularly.  It is possible that with your last ovulation, you did develop a hemorrhagic corpus luteum cyst ( which is bleeding into the normal ovulation cyst).  Those DO hurt, and can cause cycle irregularities.  One idea would be a trial of oral contraceptives--they would stop ovulation and therefore cyst formation as well as regulating your periods.  They usually decrease the amount of flow and cramping.

Hope this is helpful!

Dr B

[treetz1979]

Got more info….

On antibiotics for a possible bladder infection…I have no bladder infection symptoms but my white count is slightly elevated, so I will play along and take the meds for a recheck of my urine in 10 days.

My ultrasound results are the following: “A small complex benign cyst in the right ovary measuring 1.2 x 1.1 x 1.0 cm. This lesion likely represent a hemorrhagic cyst.” There is no free fluid in the adnexa (8/12).

My CT Scan was normal but mentions the following: “There is fluid within endometrial cavity with likely tiny cysts in the bilateral adnexa including a 2.5 cm cluster of tiny cysts in the right adnexa, most likely physiologic in nature” (8/20).

I am feeling extremely bloated, full, and still have pelvic pain (hoping the meds take care of the pain in my upper right side). What do the differing results mean? Does it mean that in a week’s time I got more cysts, and the one on my right more than doubled in size? Also, why no fluid for my ultrasound but I do in my CT scan? If my cysts potentially doubled in size in a week's time, should I be concerned?