3.5 cm plus right ovarian cyst

[gussykidgirl2001]

So I have a history of PCOS and infertility, had to have fertility meds to get pregnant with my daughter and then 2 years later with my son.  My periods were every 3-6 mo as a young adult until I had my kids then they were regular.  I've had pain for years and was always told that the cyst were functional and basically you just had to deal with the pain.  I recently went to my urologist for pain that I knew was a kidney stone because I have had several in the past and when they did the CT scan they found not only a kidney stone on the left side but the report said I had a possible of a tubal dilatation with cystic changes and they told me to call the my ob/gyn.  So I did and after waiting a month to be seen, she ordered an ultrasound which showed a bilobed cystic structure in the right adenexa area measuring at least 3.5cm.  She ordered a CA125 which was normal and now I am waiting to have another ultrasound done to see if there are any changes.  If the cyst is still there her plan is to go in and do a laproscopic surgery and possible remove the cyst and the ovary depending on the findings.  From everything I've read I know the likely hood of this being cancerous is low, but this has been going on for about 4 months now and the waiting is driving me crazy.  My mother had a tumor and cyst removed 40 years ago and that tumor they said was pre cancerous whatever that means...  just worried.

[old_before_my_time]

Welcome to the community. I am sorry you are dealing with this. It is hard not to think the worst but you are right that ovarian cancer is very rare in women who do not have a family history (lifetime risk is 1.3%). Most ovarian cysts are benign and do end up going away on their own so hopefully that will be the case for yours. One of the big concerns is ovarian torsion if a cyst gets too large but yours is still quite small.

The ovaries produce vital hormones that are essential to every aspect of health up until at least age 80. So if surgical intervention is necessary, it is best to have just the cyst removed and preserve the ovary or at least enough ovarian tissue for normal hormone production. Removal of one ovary can have serious consequences as it can permanently disrupt hormone production. The other ovary may pick up the slack but that does not always happen. Unfortunately, many women lose ovary(ies) for ovarian cysts when all that should be removed is the cyst(s). Some surgeons have better cystectomy skills than others.

My organs were unnecessarily removed for a 9.5cm ovarian cyst and the effects have been nothing short of devastating.

Please keep us posted on how this plays out. Hopefully, the cyst will resolve and that will be the end of it.

[userzyx321]

I'm sorry you're going through this for years. I'm only on week three, and my emotions have been soaring. So, I can't imagine. Plus having a history in your family can really cause fear. What was the CA125? Did you do that at the ob/gyn? I don't know the doctors just say "deal with with the pain." I guess they don't understand how awful it hurts!

I've had six appointments in past three weeks, and every doctor has underplayed my concerns. I went in to the doctor after having serve pain in my mid back/abdomen for about two weeks. It started small but had progressed to where it was hard to bend over to pick anything up off the ground, sharp pain when I would tilt my chin to my chest, difficulty sitting up in bed, throbbing/cramping pain on my side, pelvic area and mid-back. Sometimes a twisting or pushing feelings. They originally diagnosed me with a kidney stone, gave me meds and sent me home. After four days of taking medicine for a kidney stone I made another appointment with my primary care physician. The doctor tested my urine again and said no blood so I likely didn’t have a kidney stone.

The doctor then ordered a CT scan. When the results came back it showed that my pelvic structures remarkable for 2.7 cm cystic change of the right ovary with free fluid tracking from the right adnexa with posterior cul-de-sac. Finding likely represent rupture of a physiologic right ovarian cyst with fluid tracking into the posterior cul-de-sac. Further evaluation could be accomplished with dedicated pelvic ultrasound. Again they told me that this was something “common” and not to worry, that I basically just needed to ride it out, but they could give me pain meds.

Due to a history of endometriosis in my family I felt this possible ruptured cyst need to be addressed so that I could be sure there was nothing more serious going on. Next step: made an appointment to see a urologist and his findings matched: no kidney stone, but suggested that since I was still feeling so much pain to see my OBGYN and to also have a pelvic and abdominal ultrasound. He said it could be something related to my gull bladder or appendix.

At this point I started taking pain meds. But was feeling like the pain was actually getting worse. I could still feel the cramping, twisting and sometimes sharp pain through the meds! I was so close to going to the ER, but I had an appt scheduled with my OBGYN the next morning. OBGYN doctor did some tests on my abdomen & pelvic area, reviewed the CT scan results and tested by urine again to rule of an ectopic pregnancy. She then gave me a referral to have an abdominal, pelvic and transvaginal ultrasound.

My results should come in on Monday. But, the ultrasound did confirm that I do have cyst on my right ovary, it could be remnants of a ruptured cyst or still live (if that’s the correct term).