Ovarian Cancer in a 22 year old?

[debik52]

My daughter (21) had a routine pelvic exam last week and was told that everything looked fine.  Two days ago she had severe abdominal pain and bloating and went to an urgent care because she is new to AZ and does not have a primary doctor yet. Her urinalysis was clean. They gave her an RX for Lortab and sent her to an imaging center where she had a chest x-ray and an abdominal CT Scan.  The chest film was normal.  The abd CT showed free fluid (ascites) in the abdominal cavity.  She and I talked about the family history of gallbladder disease and I told her she needed to follow up wit a doctor asap.  Then, yesterday (Friday) at 4 pm, she received a voice mail from the imaging center stating she has a lesion on one of her ovaries and to go to the ER if the paim gets worse.  That's it!  Not even a phone number to call back.  She tried to call her ob/gyn, but she was gone for the day.  I'm not one to normally panic, but the lesion coupled with the abdominal fluid scares me since tha tis a common symptom of cancer.  Can anyone give me some good news.  Being only 21, my daughter is very scared and she is living away from me and the rest of her family right now.  Thank!

[tayba]

i got back my blood test results and they revealed i am anemic

[tayba]

hi Jan thank you 4 ur  answer and yeah i went to the gyn on friday and she did a blood test to see y the cyst is forming and also she sent me for a ultrasound so i waiting  for that.

[Jan214]

Not everyone with O Cysts gets OVCA.  I have a long history of O Cysts and my 25 yr old daughter is on her 3rd round of cysts.  I also have a long history of OVCA in my family and I have OVCA. My daughter wants to have a tubal ligation or just have everything taken out but I think this is an overreaction to the situation.  Don't waste a good panic as someone said until you have something to worry about.  Keep an eye on those cysts and try to catch them before they rupture.  It can be very painful and leaves more scar tissue. Let us know what the GYN says on Friday. Good luck.
Jan

[tayba]

i am only 22

[tayba]

hi i am new here. i went for a ct and they've found a cystic lesion on right side which is
4.5cm , i was also told by my gp that i ahd a cyst on left ovary as well which had ruptured and i'm due to go to a gyn this friday do u think i have something to worry about plz reply soon  

[debik52]

Her pelvic exam was about four days before the real pain started.  She did mention to the doctor that the exam really hurt.  She gets a pap and exam every six months due to HPV and is very use to having it done.  It has never been painful before.   She was in just about the middle of her cycle when the pain started.  Perhaps a cyst in the ovary was ruptured during the exam and then the pain started when she ovulated? There is no Ovarian Cancer history in our family.  I had a hysterectomy at age 32 secondary to complication of child birth.  Though not planned, my ovaries were removed also due to severe cystic disease, probably due to the systemic infection I had when my first child was born.  My mother had a TAH,BSO at 44 due to advanced fibroid disease.  You have been very helpful.  A ruptured ovarian cyst is sounding much more likely to me than anything else.  Thank you.

[MickeyVicki]

Yes, statistically speaking, she is more likely to have a ruptured cyst than ovarian cancer.  How long after her pelvic exam did the pain begin?  At what point in her monthly cycle is she?  Perhaps it is possible that she had a normal functional cyst that was ruptured during the manual examination of the pelvis; that happened to me once, years ago.  The discomfort was noticeable but not  what I would call "pain."  I had forgotten about that incident until I was diagnosed last year with an endometrioma on my left ovary, the one that suffered the previous ruptured cyst.  My doctor does not believe that there is any connection between the endometrioma that grew last year and that old "injury" but I cannot help but wonder about that aspect.

Anyway, the important issue now is prompt follow-up which will probably consist of a transvaginal ultrasound for a better image of the ovary itself.

[debik52]

Thank you for your response.  It made me feel a little less anxious.  Apparently her pain had been going on for several days and she got medical help because she though she probably had an UTI.  The UA was clear.  The level of pain has been fairly consistent. It was not a sharp acute onset, however, the doctor's first diagnosis to rule out was an etopic pregancy which was physically impossible at this time. I hoping you will tell me that this still sounds like a ruptured cyst.  Of course, that could also explain the ascites. In someone her age, that would be more common than Ovarian CA, wouldn't it?  Thanks.

[MickeyVicki]

Acute, quick-onset pain such as hers is common with a ruptured cyst.  Statistically speaking, she likely had a cyst which ruptured and the contents leaked into the abdomen.  Obviously, she should follow-up with a gyn appointment, but  it is most likely that she had a normal, functional cyst that grew large before it ruptured.