2nd ovarian cyst in 11 weeks

Hi i live in the uk im 24 and 11 weeks ago i had a 15cm cyst removed from my right ovary i also lost my ovary, it was  benign a dermoid, i had this moved by laparotomy and have since recovered well. However in the past few weeks i have been getting similar symptoms on the left hand side bloating, aching in my side lower down pelvic pain and change in bowel habbits. My right side where the surgery was done has also started hurting again.

I had a ultrasound scan done on thursday and on friday was told i had a 3cm cyst on my left ovary but this wasnt of any concern to the doc as he would only remove it if it was 5cm or more. He said it should go away on its owne. The rest of the scan was normal. The thing that worries me is 11 weeks ago when i had my 1st ultrasound for the right cyst was told it was 7cm and when i had operation it was infact 15cm could the measurements be wrong again? Could a 3cm cyst be causing this pain or is it likely to be something else. I dont really know what to do i feel my gp is sick of me moaning about it and has given me strong painkillers but i dont want to keep taking these they make me feel dizzy and i have a 1 year old to look after.

Any advice would be apreciated. Thank You. Claire

[Annekathryn Goodman, M.D.]

Dear Claire,

Thank you for your complete information. first of all, it is hard to be a patient! you don't understand what is happening. you do not want to complain but you are not sure if you have a problem. I understand! I suspect that your GP is not sick of you!

Based on your information and without benefit of exam or review of your ultrasound, here are my thoughts:

You are almost 3 months out from a major abdominal surgery. The first 6 weeks are spent taking it easy and not doing any exercise . Then in the past month, I suspect, you have increased your activities and you are trying to get back to your normal lifestyle. I have found that it is this time (after the first 6 weeks from a surgery) that people can injure themselves by doing too much.

The injury usually is a muscle strain or sprain. The muscle is the big front abdominal muscles called the rectus abdominis muscles that run from your ribs to your pubic bone.  Spraining this muscle can cause alot of pain in the abdominal wall. The best way to manage this this is back off exercise and use local supportive measures such as a heating pad. (think about what you would do if you sprained your ankle). It can take along time to feel better. it is important to have a physical exam to be sure nothing else is amiss.

As far as your new 3 cm cyst. I suspect that may be a cyst of ovulation. It was not there before and I suspect it will be gone with the next period.
As far as measurements of cyst - yes the actual size measurement will differ depending on the technique that is used. So he size by US may not be exactly the same as physical exam

best wishes