left sided pain.ovary?

Hi im from the uk. I had cervical cancer at the age of 25 and had a hysterectomy,leaving the ovaries. My mother died from ovarian cancer at the age of 52. I also have a aunt on my mothers side  and 2 second cousins on my fathers side who have had breast cancer. In feb this year i developed a niggling intermitent low left sided pain.I asked my GP for ovarian screening and was given blood test which showed i was low risk(his words not mine),the pain got worse and more persistent until my GP refered me to a gastric surgeon. She ordered a pelvic scan and colonoscopy(which showed a little inflamation (inflammation))the scan was done this week. During the scan i was told i had a small cyst on right ovary and that i needed a vaginal scan as the bowel was in the way of the left ovary.This was done and no mantion was made at all about the left ovary. I am now awaiting the results.My symptoms besides pain are a change in bowel habits,painful intercourse,ocassional to constant pain when urinating,throbbing groin and a dragging sensation in the vaginal region all left sided. Sitting can aggrivate the pain and the only real comfort from pain is if i lie on my right side and keep very still.I do have a bladder prolapse,although they wanted to operate,i have found that my constant trips to the toilet have improved,or i have just got used to them.My question is could these symptoms be from a prolapse and would a prolapse show on ultrasound or am i right in feeling this is an ovarian problem?. I am now 47 and past the menopause. I just want the pain explained as i feel nobody belives me! Help

[Annekathryn Goodman, M.D.]

Hi There,
You raise some very important issues and I want to separate them into three areas. First of all, I am sorry to hear about your pain. It sounds like it is interfering with your life. It also sounds like you have been getting a good evaluation. There a few things I can bring up that you should take back to your doctor to discuss.

1. Family history of breast and ovarian cancer. The combination of breast and ovarian cancer in your family may put you at higher risk for ovarian cancer. The lifetime risk of ovarian cancer in the general population is one in 80 women. That is about one tenth the lifetime risk of breast cancer (one woman in 8 will get breast cancer). For women with a strong family history of breast and ovarian, their personal risk may be higher than the general population. About 10% of all women who develop breast cancer or an ovarian cancer have one of two gene mutations that we can test for. This is called BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 gene mutations. There is a blood test for this. For women with the BRCA 1 gene mutation, their risk of breast cancer is close to 90 percent and their risk of ovarian cancer is close to 50 percent. Now it is important to remember that we do not yet know the gene mutations that make up 90% of these cancers. But this is a start. You should ask your doctor what blood test you had that puts you at

[dalip]

cheers for reply
I have thought hernia but no obvious lump and yes you are right, pain is interferining with my life i am on painkillers constantly. As far as good evaluation is concerned this has taken me since march to get to this point(us)and i feel this should have been done sooner. Muscle strain has crossed my mind as i do a manual job involving heavy lifting but would this cause painful intercourse?. I forgot to say the reason for first having colonoscopy was that when i opened my bowels it agrivated the pain and worsened with the amount of times i opened them(1 not too bad -3 or more severe)and eased when bowels empty. I have gained weight(about 6LBs) and have recently had people tell me i look like im loosing weight and gaunt.At the back of my mind i suppose i fear i have ovarian cancer like my mum.At the end of the day i must wait for us results .

[dalip]

got results of scan back which show cyst on right ovary of 4" now waiting to see gynocologist. What are the differences between solid.simple cysts ect?

[dalip]

Sorry the large cyst was found on the left ovary, which now explains the pain. Also shows small cyst om right ovary.I have read your replies on previous posts that you can not tell if a cyst is cancerous or not until either removed or biopsied. Do they not get a good idea from the look of the cyst on an u/s?. In view of my previous posts and family history what are my chances of these being harmless?

[akg]

Hi There,
Yes you are correct - one cannot know whether something is malignant or not by an ultrasound. I would say that your level of pain from this cyst is significant enough so that I would recommend having it removed. Usually ovarian cancer does not hurt. It is more likely that the cyst is twisting and that is causing the pain. let us know what your doctor suggests
best wishes

[dalip]

many thanks will let you know.

[kjamie]

Hello,

My doctor said i have very small ovaries and the right one is slightly larger than the left. Right one is about 2.8 cubic and left 1.5 cubic.We have been trying for two years, no luck. Also he said i have underactive thyroid and so has prescribed me synthroid and i have started them a week back. He also said there are only 2 to 3 follicles released.My age is 31 and what are my chances that i might get pregnant. Can i correct this with diet, exercise or something.Please reply.
Thanks
Jamie

[dalip]

i think you posted this to the wrong reply.

[dalip]

HI Again
Dont know if you will get to see this Dr Goodman but here's hoping!. Saw consultant who thinks pain is not from cysts,thinks it's a bowel issue!. He says the cysts are too small to twist.He feels they are folicule cysts and will be gone on the next scan which he wants done in 3 weeks time. He has agreed to remove my ovaries due to family history and has requested stronger painkillers and genitic testing,as i have 3 daughters.My problem is when seeing my gp she said the cyst on the left side was 10cm is that considered small?! Also the radiologist noted that i experianced pain on the left ovary and cyst when she was scanning them. So how can this not be an ovarian issue but a bowel one. I am now totally confused!!!. I really would appriciate any feedback whatso ever.

[akg]

Hi There,
hmmm... I would suggest getting a copy of your ultrasound report. Could you let me know what it says? (perhaps there is a matter of where does the decimal point go - is it 10 mm or 10 cm?)
take care

[dalip]

WOW i really am impressed that you keep up with past posts,thank you soo much.Ok here goes. rang radiologist,who did scan, who told me left cyst 3cm, right cyst 4cm. Now i understand why cons said thought it was bowel issue(3cm not big and right side is only occasional niggle),he mentioned perhaps some of the bowel sticking together.
Now here's a tricky one. I always used to get ovulation pain for 3 days every so often(very painful)for many years. Not had pain for about 3 years now(hrt helped, on it for about12 yrs stopped 3 yrs ago). Well monday got old ovulation pain and guess what other pain dissapears,so am thinking cyst has burst.Had 4 clear days just like old self. 5th day pain comes back just like before,exactly the same. Can these cysts leak?.Its obviously ovarian related but why 4 days without pain now back to how it was?. Any ideas would be very much appriciated.
Thanks again for you time you dont realise(or perhaps you do)how much we value your imput.keep up the good work.
Dawn

[akg]

Hi Dawn
thanx for your kind words. I am not sure if the pain is related to a rupture of a cyst. The only way to prove that would be to get a repeat ultrasound and see if the cyst is gone now. I suspect that you have adhesions , that is  areas of stickiness between regions of bowel, that twist and cause pain. You should ask your doctor about that possibility. But, a 4 cm cyst can be big enough to cause pain for some people.
Your choices are:
-leave it alone
-take out your ovaries
-or try to suppress your ovaries medically with something like lupron (GNRH agonists (gonadotropin releasing hormone)) to see if pain gets better. This could be done to sort out if removing the ovaries would help.

[dalip]

the left ovary is lying very low(on pubic bone)which is very close to old scar line. Did have abcesses on both ends of scar line(internal) and stitch abcess (abscess) in middle(outside)so i agree with your theory of adhesions. I would almost go as far as to say perhaps the ovary is stuck to the bowel as during the colonoscopy i experianced extreem pain in the same area when the bowel was extended with air.I have thought perhaps there might also be a small hernia on the scar line as when i stand i can feel a small lump and during sex once it almost felt like somthing had been pushed back and pain eased for a while.I have not had chance to tell either my gp or consultant about these things(i tend to clam up in the face of the almighty!)but will try and talk things through next time we meet. Thankyou for all your advice.I am no longer in a panic about ovarian cancer.Cheers Dawn

[amiranda]

I've been experiencing the same pain but on my right side.  I have had an us done which showed the ovary surrounded by gas and the bowels were in the way.  I also have pain when sitting or carrying my daughter.  I had a paratubal cysts which was removed, tube and all.  Wondering if you have had any further results.

[dalip]

yes i have had surgery to remove both ovaries. Both uts showed the bowel in the way on the left side. When they operated they found both the ovary,tube and cyst was stuck fast to the bowel,bladder and anything else in its way.Apart from the usual post op pain and healing process, the pain i experianced before has gone. I have only taken maybe 3 pain killers in the last 10 days as opposed to about 9 a day before.Dont suffer in silence if you know there is a problem fight it and push it. Hope you get to see this.GOOD LUCK. Dawn

[heather138]

A related discussion, pain in left ovary was started.

[Chloefer]

A related discussion, Pain in ovary? was started.