Ovarian cyst or else?

[shushaaa31]

Hi. Over the course of the past four or five months i have had on and off dull ache in my lower right abdomen. I have also had a lot of abdominal swelling and bloating. The pain is kinda dull and just uncomfortable, but it has not been persistent which is why I have yet to see a doctor. It comes and goes, and usually i feel fine for  a month or so before it starts again. My periods are regular and everything else seems ok, but I am concerned. I have mentioned this to my family doctor and he told me not to worry, that it is probably an ovarian cyst and will go away on its own. However, every time the pain comes back I keep wondering if it is serious or not. With this ache not being persistent, should I still worry? could this be cancer and not a cyst? I am going to the doctor soon but I just wanted to see what this could be so that I can know what to expect.

[hopeshell]

I totally agree with MarieMichele.  You need to see a gynecologist and ask for a transvaginal ultrasound.  That way you will know for sure if you have a cyst and can monitor it accordingly.  It is common for the pain to be intermittent with ovarian cysts.  Most cysts do turn out to be benign and go away on their own in time.  But, you will be able to rest easier if you can determine the source of your pain.   Take care.

[MarieMichele]

You do not really know what you have until you at least get some ultrasound testing of the ovaries, and by a gynecologist. Avoid other types of doctors for now as they know little about cysts and will look for all other causes besides gynecological ones, mostly wasting your time with a lot of unnecessary tests. Your symptoms do sound consistent with ovarian cysts and do not sound too worrisome. But you would be wise to get more facts such as the quantity, suze and type of cyst to know for sure whether you have something that is safe to just monitor, or something that needs more aggressive treatment like surgery.