Cyst on ovary...confused on what next?

[A MOMS LIFE]

I am 36 and have been having occasional pain on my right side and what feels like menstrual cramps on and off throughout the month. The last time I had the pain it was tender to the touch and hurt when I used my stomach muscles. It hurts more on my right than left when I have menstrual cramps. I went to see my PPC who suggest the pain I feel could be due to ovulation and she sent me to get a pelvic ultrasound. By the time I went to my pelvic ultrasound appointment the pain and tenderness was completely gone. The ultrasound tech stated to me that it was just a small cyst on my ovary and was probably about to pop because it looked as if I was about to ovulate. She said it was very common during ovulation. She suggested birth control pills.My question is if the pain was gone when I went to the ultrasound appointment doesn't that counteract the whole "the pain is due to the cyst and when the cyst pops you feel better?" Both of my grandmothers died at a very early age of cancer and my mother is recovering from breast cancer.  My PPC and GYN knew about my mom but not the history of my grandmothers. I just don't want to slip through the cracks....you know? The pelvic ultrasound I had was very quick. It concerns me that everyone on this forum seems to know the size and type of cyst they had but I was never told? If the pain returns I should just ignore it as a cyst since I was not given a follow up?

[Annekathryn Goodman, M.D.]

Hi There,

I agree with what you were told. However, I completely understand your concern. I would divide the issue into 2 issues: - you had some pain, it went away, you have a small cyst of ovulation. this is all normal stuff.  For normal cysts of ovulation, one usually does not get a follow up ultrasound.


The second issue is your family history. There are definitely certain family history that may put you at higher risk for maligancies. I would suggest that you either meet again with your PCP and carefully review all the data on your family or meet with a genetic counselor at a cancer center. Genetic counselors are specially trained to understand all the known family cancer syndromes. They will take a careful family history and draw a family tree. If your seem to have one of those syndromes, there are certain blood test to test for genetic mutations. the most famous one is BRCA 1 .Women with this gene mutation have an 80%risk of breast cancer and 50% risk of ovarian cancer. We recommend the prophylactic removal of the ovaries and even the breasts for these women.

You should research your family and get as much information as possible prior to meeting with a genetic counselor.

best wishes