ovarian cyst and ovary removal

[clair12]

hi im going into hospital next thursday to have another cyst removed and my left ovary and fallopian tube. this is the 3rd procedure because of cysts. so really nervous and scared. also been having heavy periods and my consultant wants to fit a iud to reduce bleeding, but i have read this causes cysts too. can anyone advise me please???????

[protectingmysanity]

Ok, sorry- I should learn to read something all the way through before responding.  I also had very heavy periods before my hysterectomy, but for 2 different reasons.  The first is I had a benign uterine polyp.  They did a D&C (scraped my uterus) along with a biopsy and that took care of it for several years.  Then it started again.  This time I had a fibroid tumor and adenomyocis (bleeding within the uterine wall) unlike endometriosis where there is bleeding and adhesions outside the uterine wall.  My uterus was 5 times larger than normal, cancer was a concern but all was benign.  I think it is very important to find out why you have heavy periods  Rather than to just try to reduce them since there might be another more serious underlying condition.  Finally, I am not certain why they would want to use an IUD for your particular situation, in my opinion if there is no medical reason or family history of breast cancer that would say you should never use hormones, I would think hormone therapy would be a much better route.

[protectingmysanity]

Last year in January, February and March- one each month I got a hemorrhagic cyst (blood filled) on my left ovary.  One of the most non-surgical pain I have ever experienced.  Before that throughout my life about 2 or 3 times a year I would get cysts that would burst when I ovulated.  It would be painful, but only for a couple of hours.  Once I had a very large cyst, about the size of a lemon and they drained it in the office using a large needle going in intravaginally. It didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would.  I never got a large one again.  But the blood filled ones certainly got my attention and it took almost 3 weeks for the pain to completely subside.  I am very active, so to have this happen was very upsetting and I did end losing my left ovary.  I've already had a hysterectomy so I'm not concerned about reproduction, but I wasn't in the mood for chemical menopause either.  I asked the dr to leave my right ovary if it looked healthy.  It did and he did.  Shortly after the surgery, I got a cyst on my right so I decided to go with hormones- basically birth control to suppress the ovaries so I wouldn't ovulate, but so I would at least have the benefit of my natural hormones.  My mother had the kind of breast cancer that involved hormones, so we are very careful even around the word "hormone".  But I decided that if he took both of my ovaries, I would need hormones anyway and the kind needed to suppress were safer in my case.  Plus depending on your age, the younger you are when you lose your ovaries the greater your risk is for developing other health problems later in life like cardiovascular and diabetes.  I spent hours researching the whole cyst thing.

I hope the best for you and in the end I hope you are able to keep your ovaries.  Perhaps, in order to rule out potential for worst case scenarios, maybe your dr can still do the scope, take a look at your ovary, if it still looks healthy; drain the cyst, take a biopsy and see if there isn't a way to suppress your ovaries while keeping them intact.

I know there are websites who say that women should be able to "keep their parts" no matter what, but they are not the ones in pain.  It is a fine line between dealing with the here and now and keeping in mind how it will affect the future.  I wish I had book marked all the sites I had gone to so I could post them for you, but it was over a year ago.  This website is a good start.  My advice is keep it if you can- but don't risk more serious conditions- rule them out first.  Hope I was helpful.  BTW I'm in my 40's already had 2 children and I wasn't planning on having more.  So I only had to consider my health.  I don't know how young you are and what you have to consider- just health or health and reproduction.

[clair12]

as i have another cyst.

[protectingmysanity]

I'm not a fan of IUD's.  Don't know what they would really have to do with ovaries.  they don't stop ovulation, they just keep a fertilized egg from implanting.  Have you talked with your dr about hormones?  They will suppress ovulation.  I did that for about a year and then stopped and it doesn't seem that the cysts are going to start again.  So, I have been able to keep my right ovary.  Also why are you having your ovary removed?