Ovarian Cysts Confusion-Symptoms

[bobdylanfan]

Hi there,

I am new to this site. I am a 32 yr old female with no children. I am 5 ft 2 and 104 pounds. I quit taking birth control about 3 months ago or so after taking the pill from the age of 16. A month an a half ago, I had pain when I sat down and general discomfort/pressure in my pelvic region. I was also feeling like I had to urinate a lot. I'd never dealt with this before, so I went to my family doctor. He gave no urine culture but said he thought I had a UTI. He gave me Bactrium antibiotics for a week. I started feeling a little better, but I could still feel that pressure and slight burning off and on a week later, so I saw him again and he gave me a week of Cipro antibiotics and finally did a urine culture. The culture came back negative, but I took the Cipro for a week because it took a week for the culture results to come in. I'm still not sure if I ever had a UTI at all, although the Cipro did seem to help. During this time, I had a period for 2 days and then a week later had spotting for two days. I was not sure if this was due to the stress of everything and perhaps the antibiotics threw my hormones off or something.

Because I was still feeling some discomfort and my period was weird, I went to my gynocologist and he did an ultrasound. He nonchalantly told me that I had two cysts on my left ovary and what appeared to be a ruptured cyst on the right side, though he "could not find my right ovary". The cysts on my left ovary were less than 2 cm, and there was a small dark round spot that he said "looked like" a ruptured cyst. He seemed to think that was not a big deal. He said that the cysts might be a cause of my discomfort, but he basically rushed me out without my feeling as if anything had been resolved. I asked if the cysts were normal and he said yes, but he didn't offer me any more information. He gave me a urine culture, pap smear, pelvic exam, and STD test and everything came back normal. He didn't ask me to come back for a follow up to check on the cysts.

I went back to my family doctor who sent me to a urologist. The urologist said he could find nothing wrong with my bladder and yet another urine test came back normal.

I started taking birth control pills again two weeks ago because I read that it could help with the cysts. I have had 4 days of spotting, but that might be due to starting the pill again. I have not had a fever or felt sick. My appetite is fine and I have not had constipation or diaherra. I've gone 4 days with no pain, and the last time I had the pelvic pain was the day I started spotting.

I just wondered if this sounds like ovarian cysts issues or if I might have something else that they are not seeing. It seems to be going away, but every time I think that, I feel the mysterious discomfort again and start getting nervous. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's nothing major. I just can't believe that cysts would cause discomfort for over a month and I wanted to see if it sounded right or not. I feel like whatever it is might be working itself out because I'm going longer stretches with no pain.

Thank you in advance for reading this long message. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Holly

[bobdylanfan]

Thank you very much! I pushed my appt to June 10th. I can't stand this pain anymore. I need some answers. I need to know that it isn't something worse that is causing this pain. :(

[Doodle1790]

Hi there,
Like you i am fairly new to this site it is extremely helpful trust me i had a fast experience with this stuff that i don't think i have ever been rushed into something, and having to gain as much knowledge as fast as i have recently. I to was diagnosed with  UTI and kidney infection by the ER doctor who first saw me and essentially sent me for an ultrasound to shut me up. It turns out i didn't have a UTI or Kidney infection but instead had a large cyst of my left ovary. So don't be affraid to push for answers and like the other women on this site have already mentioned good job for seeking out a different OBGYN :) I hope you get all the questions and concerns answered on June 25th when you see this new doctor

[bobdylanfan]

Update:

My gyno office called me to go over my transvaginal ultrasound results. I asked what kind of cysts they were, and they said "physiological" which is the same as functional. They said that everything was normal and I have nothing to worry about.

Does anyone know if a transvaginal ultrasound can indicate uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, fibriods or endometriosis?

I'm still trying to get to the bottom of all of this. Why would I be having intermittent pelvic issues due to small functional cysts? Why would a ruptured cyst still be bothering me a month later? Could going off of oral contraceptives for 3 months and then going back on be causing hormonal issues that cause discomfort?

Thanks for your time.

Holly

[bobdylanfan]

Thank you, Lupette!

I did not have a pelvic ultrasound. He just gave me a physical pelvic exam and saw nothing. I am hoping the next gyno can clarify some things for me. If it's just normal cysts, I can deal with that. I just want to make sure it isn't something else. I feel fine otherwise. I mean, I do have some weird ache under my ribs on the right side that comes and goes. I experienced it last month and told my doctor. He said it was probably a muscle spasm. I am feeling it again today. I wonder if it's a coincidence that it seems to occur around my period or if it's even related. Could be stress perhaps.

Sigh...

Again, thanks for each and every response. You ladies rock.

Holly

[lupette]

I don't have much to add to what has already been said but I can tell you that I often experience  urinary urgency and burning (like with a UTI) when my cysts flare up. Like you, I went through several courses of antibiotics to treat infection. I began to think I had OBS (overactive bladder syndrome). Now I know it was always from cysts flaring up  . . . or whatever they do.

One thing I was wondering . . . did you have a pelvic ultrasound where you had to arrive with a full bladder? (Not the transvaginal part . . . that comes after.)  I think they do this to provide contrast so I thought maybe it would help them to find your missing ovary. (Just a thought)

[bobdylanfan]

PS. I forgot to mention, the gyno said, "If you can't see the ovary, sometimes that's a good thing. It usually means nothing is wrong."

I did see this elsewhere on this site:

"Most of the time, if there is a problem, the ovary enlarges and can be seen well. In general, though not always, not seeing the ovary means there is not any problem on that side."
Machelle M. Seibel, MD

I pushed my appointment to June 25th so I can ease my mind sooner.

[bobdylanfan]

Thank you all so much! My gyno said sometimes it was hard to find the ovaries. He said sometimes they "hide" but he didn't really look very hard. The whole thing was sort of rushed but he seemed to think everything looked "normal". He wasn't even sure of the cysts were what was causing my discomfort. I wish I would have been more forceful and demanded that he find it. Could this mean that there is an issue with my right ovary?

My appointment with the other gyno is June 30th.

[fungirl1011]

Hi Holly, and welcome to the forum.  Cyst of any size can cause pain, from mild to severe.  I agree with the other women, GET A NEW DOCTOR!!  I can't believe how bad your doctor's bedside manner is.  I just saw that you are seeing a new gynecologist in a month, good for you!!  Hopefully she will be more understanding of your concerns.  It is not normal not to be able to find your ovary on a transvaginal ultrasound.  Did your doctor tell you why he thought he couldn't see your ovary?  It is normal to have more than one cyst on your ovary.  When we ovulate, we have a cyst that either dissolves or helps with a pregnancy.  When that cyst doesn't dissolve, it can start growing and causing  pain.  It is also normal for the pain to come and go.  Please keep us posted on how your appointment goes with the new doctor.  We will be here anytime you need to vent or "talk".  Sending prayers and hugs your way.

[bobdylanfan]

Thank you, Deb! This site is so great. I am thankful to have some people to talk to about this. I did get a vaginal ultrasound.  The two cysts were about 2 cm each. The one he thinks is ruptured looked small too, but I could only see a dark circle that he called a pool of blood. I am lucky that my symptoms aren't all that bad, but it's just different. I've never experienced this before and I just want things to go back to normal without having to spend so much money trying to figure it all out. I just don't trust doctors either, so it makes this even more annoying. I don't know if there is something else going on and I don't know who to talk to find out.

Thanks again for listening.

[hdebbie7]

Hi Holly  yes it is normal that they cant see your ovary sometimes it can be far back but a transvaginal would get to it. And yes you can have great numbers of cyst on one ovary. Hope this has helped i was all new to this 7 mths ago but have had experience of my own in that 7mths which makes you learn. Debs x

[hdebbie7]

Hi Holly, i feel so sorry for you, you poor thing. As said above you have got to get another opinion, you cannot let this rest. For your own sanity get it sorted, i dont know much about ruptured or twisted cyst but i do understand the pain and symptoms cyst cause. Was youtold the size of the cyst found on the ultra sound scan, if i were you i would ask for a transvaginal this will tell them exactly whats going on with you. Keep posted Holly, their are so many women on here who will try to help you and understand your worries and concerns. Dont give up and yes cyst pain can go on and off and be a nagging burden for a long time if not treated. love to you Debs x

[bobdylanfan]

Thank you for your reply!

I am upset that my doctor didn't give me a urine culture. I would like to find another doctor after that experience though. Today I called my gyno office and asked them to go over my ultrasound results with me. I want to make sure he read the results properly. Again, he sort of rushed me and even yawned once when I was telling him my concerns. I have an appointment with a FEMALE gynecologist in a month and I plan to get a follow up ultrasound from her. I am trying to make sure that this isn't something more serious. I do not have bloating or anything like that, but I do have some vague cramping in my right ovary area sometimes. I just want to get to the bottom of this and I'm getting a little frustrated. After a month of this, I just want it to go away. I'll definitely ask about fibroids. Thanks again.

Two more questions, is it normal that he could not find my right ovary and is it normal to have two small cysts on one ovary? This is all new to me.

Holly