Should I put up with it?

[Raven1964]

Hi, my name is Jennifer.  For about 3 years now, I have been living with ovarian cysts.  At first it was my left ovary, but now it has been my right ovary that has been the source of difficulty.  I have ended up in the hospital 3 times due to the pain that is caused when the cysts enlarge and bleed.  I thought it was a burst cyst, but I think I was mistaken.  The hospital visits were primarily due to the extreme pain I was in (the morphine did little to help!).   Other times, I have not landed in the hospital, but I have had to take very strong pain medication and take time off work.  Can anyone else tell me about the pain they have experienced due to ovarian cysts?  My gyno has been watching them through ultrasounds and the one on my right measured just over 5 cm.  She has suggested a hysterectomy, and as much as I am inclined to agree, I wonder if it is really the best course.  Am I just complaining?  I don't always have massive pain, I get crampy heavy periods mostly, but a few or more times a year I get the awful attacks.  Maybe I should just put up with it????

[MarieMichele]

I completed menopause at your age, 46, so you are at an age when ovary removal is a good option...but you still might get sudden onset of menopause symptoms.  No ovaries means no more estrogen. There are those that say the ovaries produce a lesser amount of estrogen after menopause, but my gyn/onc felt it was too little to matter. His greater concern was cancer prevention and believed ovary removal for me was the best choice. My mother had breast cancer after menopause and took estrogen-blocking medicine after her surgery. So while estrogen helps make us feminine, it also can be our enemy and be "cancer food".  There are arguments that loss of estrogen increases cardiovascular problems and osteoporosis...who knows? Even the medical community has differing opinions. I myself won't touch HRT. I don' t trust it. I also never had kids and never felt deprived by it. I like having my ovary and cyst problem resolved..and I hope it also reduces my breast cancer risk. It is a very personal decision and there is no single right answer...just the one that is best for you at this stage of your life. Unless you also have uterine problems, I 'd say you are a good candidate to remove just ovaries and tubes (tubes tend to always get removed with the matching ovary) along with cyst(s) by someone really experienced to get the ovary completely removed. The last thing anyone wants is Ovarian Remnant Syndrome...small pieces left behind that behave like a full ovary and can create more cysts. Then it is like having no surgery at all.

[Raven1964]

I am 46 years old.  Thank you for your response.  I am fed up with the whole ordeal yet wonder if this is just my gyno trying to solve my problems.  I do have problems and honestly when I am in the hospital or at home dealing with the pain, I literally scream inside, "take it all out!"  Part of me thinks I don't need this stuff anymore.  Never have had kids and certainly are not in the running now.  How truly necessary are these parts?  (not to be callous!)  The other thing is the Oprah recommended book by Christine Northrop.  Apparently and from a spiritual level, our ovaries signal our relationship to the male world and feelings of control.  I am in a good marriage, but there are stresses. I don't go for the spiritual side of things and have a hard enough time changing some aspects of my lifestyle, but it does make me wonder.  I am going to see the gyno again with my major questions.  first, how does HRT really affect a person and relate to cancer potential, and how truly necessary does she think this is.  Thanks for your ideas.  I will keep them in mind.

[MarieMichele]

I had just one very large cyst over 10cm and felt pain after eating larger meals or at night when trying to sleep. Never experienced a rupture, torsion or a bleeding cyst. Torsion is potentially dangerous as it can lead to cell death. If that happened, emergency surgery may be required...and a woman would be in unbearable untreatable pain if a cyst were causing torsion. I never understood why doctors would suggest hysterectomy. Only if the uterus likewise had serious health issues would that make sense. And unless there is serious concern about ovarian cancer or if a cyst destroys an ovary would it be wise to remove ovaries prior to natural menopause. Some women just seemed to be cursed with cyst problems. They can be surgically removed, but new ones can develop...and multiple su
rgeries are not good. I do not know your age, but if you are at or near menopause, you could opt to have ovaries, tubes and cysts removed to end the ordeal for good. The uterus should not be removed unless there is a valid reason to do so. If you are younger, then BC pills could possibly work to quiet the ovaries and suppress cyst formation...but this solution does not work for everyone.