Hi thank you for answering me! I have seen the gynecologist since this post and she was very optimistic about the cyst saying she has no reason to seriously suspect it is cancerous (my tumour markers were only slightly elevated, the cyst does not 'feel' stereotypically cancerous,no fluid building up in the abdominal cavity etc.) . But since it is not a simple functional cyst and has these solid nodules she is still sending me to an oncologist to be safe in case there are surprises when they open me.
She said I will need surgery and will for sure loose an ovary and fallopian tube (they could not identify my left ovary on the ultrasound)that is not so bad just the one ovary, I know people who lost an ovary and had children!
She did however warn me they will ask consent to remove EVERYTHING during surgery in case it proves malignant.that freaks me out especially hearing people say they have removed organs unnecessarily before. I have never wanted children but I do not want to go through menopause at 27!!
I had a CT scan today so maybe more info next week.
I had a 9.5cm cyst when I was 49. I ended up having surgery and afterwards discovered that my gynecologist was deceptive about my condition and treatment options to get me to sign the consent form for hysterectomy (uterus removal) and oophorectomy (ovary removal). He used ovarian cancer scare tactics even though most ovarian cysts are benign including complex ones that have suspicious traits (such as nodules or septations). The shocking part is that my surgeon sent the cyst (actually the whole ovary) for frozen section biopsy while I was in the operating room. When it came back benign / non-cancerous, he continued removing organs - my other ovary, tubes, and uterus!
Imaging is not exact so it can be difficult to tell the type of cyst. Even solid appearing cysts (such as hemorrhagic) can be benign and resolve on their own. Multiple adjacent cysts can appear as one complex cyst as the borders can look like septations.
Unfortunately, many women lose an ovary or ovaries for benign cysts. That is SELDOM necessary IF you have a surgeon who is both ethical and has good cystectomy (cyst removal) skills and is willing to take the extra time and care (with possibly no more reimbursement $) to do a cystectomy. This is a pretty good website about ovarian cysts - http://ovaryresearch.com/ovarian_cysts.htm.
Removal of any part of the reproductive system (even one ovary) can permanently disrupt natural hormone production which can have serious negative effects on many aspects of health as well as fertility. The other ovary can sometimes compensate but there's no guarantee.
The uterus, ovaries and tubes have lifelong non-reproductive functions with the ovaries producing hormones a woman's whole life.
Please keep us posted as you find out more.