I a 48 years old and have been getting periods only about every 3 or 4 months. When I mentioned this to my primary, she orderd an ultrasound. The results of the ultrsound report was a mass on the left ovary, possibly dermoid, and a recommendation for a MRI. The MRI confirmed a dermoid cyst, but my primary said that I could proablly leave it alone, because I had a Cat Scan done 5 years ago and the cyst had shown up on the Cat Scan, and had not changed at all in that time. I am not experiencing any real pain, other than an ocasional achy feeling in my lower abdomen, but I recently started feeling really bad pain in my lower back and leggs, when I am either walking or standing for a long lenght of time. My question is, should I have this cyst removed, or is it safe to just leave it alone?. IThe most puzzling of all is that when I went to the ER five years ago because I was feeling pain and pressure in my abdomen and upper thighs, i was given a Cat Scan of my pelvis and told that everything was okay. I was never told anything about cyst. My primary only found out because I had the MRI at the same hospital as the Cat Scan, and she was sent a copy of both tests to use for comparrison. I'm really nervous about having this cyst left to grow inside of me. I'm not aware of any ovarian cancer in my family history, but my Mom was diagnosed last year with colon cancer. Do youthink that the cyst could be the cause of my abnormal periods, or am I proably going thru menopause?. The only symptom that I have for menopause is the missing period, but I'm sure that at 48, it's most likley begining.