diagnosis of PMP

[jmf30]

I am now a 31 yo female who has had 1 laproscopy in Sept 07 where they removed a borderline mucinous cyst and 1oophorectomy and appendectomy via laparotomy in Jan 08 where they removed additional benign mucinous cysts.  i had a recent ultrasound which shows another complex cyst (4cm) that is similar to the mucinous cysts that were removed in both surgeries prior.  I live in a town without any expertise and fly to Seattle from Alaska to have these surgeries and the doctor down south recommends waiting until Sept 08 before doing surgery again.  I have been doing my own research and wonder if PSEUDOMYXOMA PERITONEI is a possible diagnosis as I have recurrent episodes every 4-5 months.  Are doctors hesitant for giving such a diagnosis because i have not been given any at this point.  Should i schedule to talk to an oncologist as I have not yet done this?
My other questions are how often should i expect to go through these surgeries if I'd like to keep the ovary i have left?  Do I have the possibility to get pregnant if I have PSEUDOMYXOMA PERITONEI?

[Annekathryn Goodman, M.D.]

hi There,

PSEUDOMYXOMA PERITONEI is a condition of mucinous ascites. This occurs usually from the rupture of a tumor of the appendix. it is an easy diagnosis to make at surgery. Also a CT scan would show fluid and low density material around the abdomen.

wikipedia has a nice summary:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudomyxoma_peritonei

If your ultrasound or Ct scans have not shown this, it is unlikely that you have this condition.

a borderline tumor per se would affect your fertility.
For a small cyst such as a 4 cm cyst, waiting until September is not unreasonable. Also it would be good to repeat the ultrasound to make sure your cyst is not just a cyst of ovulation that resolves on its own
best wishes