Ovarian Cyst in 15 year-old

[slamott]

My 15 year-old stepdaughter has been diagnosed with complex ovarian cysts and the GYN has recommended surgery - after seeing her 1 time.  I am concerned that this seems a drastic step for someone so young and have heard statements from others regarding the effect of scarring on the ovaries.  Should we be worred about her future fertility, and what happens if these cysts recurr?  Will she have to go thru surgery again?  I just keep wondering whether there are other options they haven't explored yet.  Shouldn't surgery be a last resort, instead of suggesting cutting a young girl open?  She has had only an abdominal ultrasound, no bloodwork as far as I know.  Are there other tests that we should ask about for her?  Any thoughts or advice would be very welcome.

[LindsayM01]

I was only 16 when I had all of my cysts removed. There were quite a few of them, and it was still a fairly simple prcedure. Only a day surgery, I was in at 8am and home by 6pm. Of course I was very sore afterwards, but I'm glad they took them out. The pain I was in before surgery was more than I could handle. I am 23 now, and though they have not seen any other cysts on my ovaries (I was also diagnosed with endometriosis, so I get tests some somewhat regularly...well, as regularly as my doctor sees fit, which isnt nearly as often as I prefer), I have been having a lot of other issues. I'm not sure if they are related to any newly formed cysts or not, but I suppose the chance of them coming back is always there.

Second opinions are never a wrong decision, but the sooner her cyst can be removed, the better for her.

[kelli515]

At the beginning of July I found that I had to dermoid cysts, one on each ovary.  I immediately had them surgically removed, and unfortunately the one on my right ovary had already over taken it and the other cyst was  malignent.  They tried to save my ovary, however, I just recently had a second sugery consisting of a full hysterectomy because the cancer had spread.  :(  I'm 20 years old, and naturally it ***** not to have children, but I wouldn't change the fact that I had surgery the first time immediately, who knows what could have happened if I waited?

[SimplyStar]

most tumors/cysts are benign yes, but there are cases of cancer in 15 yr olds and younger, a complex cyst does not usually go away,  a second opinion is needed  but so are more tests, in the rare case that it would be cancer, getting to it early is the best plan.  Think I would take her to a gyn/onocol just to be sure that the best plan of action is taken.

[wishuponastar]

hey guys i am 15 years old and just found i had a cyst the size of a walnut. It burst and i have had no infection. So i wouldnt worry about that part, it does cause extreme discomfort for about 2 day \s after bursting though. As for fertility problems, I don't know, no one has said anything to me.

[mommajayne]

I don't know if it is standard or not.  We just know that she cannot be without it because each time she tries she develops a cyst.   Since she has had this issue since she started menstruating, apparently that is the way it is always going to be.  When she had her first surgery, it was only her second cycle, when she had her second surgery, she had gotten tired of taking the pill every day and decided she didn't need to anymore.  She then tried Depo-Provera which made her a total lunatic, not to mention the weight gain, now she is using the patch since she has some issue with taking a pill everyday.  When she was still on the pill, if she missed several days, they would have her double up for several days and that worked for a while.  It didn't work every time though, she did need a round of Lupron to quiet things down.  But then again, her cysts were not complex, they thought they were cancerous just from the size of them.  They were hermorraghic.

[slamott]

Thanks mommajayne for the good info.  That was my next question, is how likely are these cysts to recurr once they are surgically removed?  You said your daughter was on birth control to prevent another one from forming - is that standard treatment?

[mommajayne]

I would welcome a doctor that acted so swiftly.  Especially since it is a complex cyst.  My oldest daughter had her first surgery for a cyst at 12.  Very scary for us.  It was the size of a cantaloupe and they had us scared that it was cancerous from the size of it.  Thankfully it wasn't.  She did have to have another surgery at 15 and this time they had to remove about 3/4s of the ovary.  As for her fertility, it is questionable as she can't be off birth control without forming another cyst.

[MickeyVicki]

Always feel free to seek a second opinion!!

In my opinion, the real issue at hand is discovering the nature of these complex cysts. In addition to seeking a second opinion, I would request more tests,  such at the CA-125. I do not wish to frighten you but I do know of women who were diagnosed with ovarian cancer when they were all of fifteen years old.

As far as cysts and fertility, the cysts themselves can prevent conception.   And should the cysts rupture and spill their contents into the abdomen, then an infection can result.   It may very well be that surgery is the right answer for her situation, but she will need more information.