Ovarian cysts with familial OVCA history

[watermelonissogood]

For the last 3-4 months I've had complex pelvic pain. It feels a lot like a deep menstrual cramp, throughout the month; a nagging pain that is almost always there to remind you. But even worse is the pains I've had in what I thought was my ovaries on both sides. I finally got an appointment with my gyn and she did a vag ultrasound. She found a small cyst on each ovary (bilateral ovarian cysts); one is 1.5cm and the other one is 2cm. I know that's small... I am wondering how accurate the U/S is in determining the difference between a cyst and OVCA. I had other symptoms such as nausea, painful urination and frequency (test showed no infection), and even recently, some weird pains going down through the groin near the femoral artery. I started doing some research because on my mother's side of the family my aunts had OVCA at 35 years old, double breast cancer at 40, breast and uterine cancer at 42.
I have had 3 children and breastfed each for over a year. This is a help in my situation, I know, as it reduces the chances of breast or OVCA.
Even though I'm done having children, my GYN put me on birth control pills to see if that would make the cysts go away.
Any thoughts? What would you think/do if you were in this situation?

[babs_the_fly_girl]

9 weeks seems too long to wait, especially as you're in pain each day!  Any updates?

[watermelonissogood]

Thank you for your response.
I wasn't told what type they were; it was a very quick test, probably 2-3 minutes long is all!

I'm a bit concerned with the BC, especially at my age too. I have a great deal of risk factors in the cardiac arena as well, including but not limited to arrhythmias, pacemaker, MVR, and family history.

The pain has been really bad today; there are days I feel pretty normal with little or no pain and other days that I am nearly doubled over in pain. I have a follow-up US in 9 weeks.

Thanks again for your input.

[MarieMichele]

Ultrasound finds cysts and can indicate a cyst's general size and composition, but it is not a diagnostic test to determine benign or cancer.  Nothing outside of removal of a cyst and pathology of it is 100% reliable.

Now there are features that alert doctors to the possibility of cancer, things such as solid elements to the cyst, septations/compartments, anything that raises the complexity of it (i.e. complex cysts).  If, for example, they think it is just a fluid filled cyst under a certain size, they will not be as worried and will believe birth control pills may provide a solution.  If a doctor acts worried, you should, too.

Symptoms matter, too.  If a person's quality of life is decreased by the cyst (and even small ones can do this), then surgical removal can brieng relief.  Doctors will opt for the simplest solution first when there's no immediate cause for alarm, and BC is considered a simple solution.  Although I have concerns about BC at age 40 and beyond because of all the risk factors (heart attack/stroke) that increase with age and BC use.

Do you know what type of cysts these are?  Size matters little if they have worrisome features.  Then even small ones should go.