ovaries, AGAIN?

[TroubleMagnet]

I was just reading the blog from the woman with regrown ovaries.  My situations is similar.  In 1992 a gynocological surgeon performed a complete hysterectomy.  I moved from that state not longer after the surgery.  Since '92, I've thought my ovaries were out.  Recently, my family practitioner ordered a CT scan for my complaint of pelvic pain.  He thought the pain was produced by adhesions.  The scan showed ovaries, each with a large cyst within.  I couldn't believe it!  An ultrasound was ordered.  Again the radiologist identified ovaries.  A second ultrasound was personally performed by a specialist.  He said the ovaries are there.  Meanwhile, I requested the path and op reports from the hospital.  The surgeon details removing the ovaries.  The pathologist describes them.

I'm now told a laparoscopy should be done to remove the ovaries because it is suspicious for a woman of my age to have such large cysts. (I'm 53 and the cysts are appx. 1.8 x 2.0 cm.)  The CA 125 is negative.

Do you think I should have them removed?  Am I at risk for cancer simply because these ovaries have cysts?  And are these regrown ovaries or what?

TroubleMagnet


This discussion is related to Abd. Surgery for complex cyst on ovary.

[SimplyStar]

There is a regrowth pattern with ovaries  it is called Ovarian Remmanet Syndrome   May I suggest you  to the forum for ovarian cysts  there you will get the answers you need, there are other women there that have ORS  any small piece of the ovary that is left after  the surgery can regenerate the tissue and cysts can grow on them.  This needs to be followed  up because  ovarian cancer can also be generated from these growths.

[Fernando Roque, MD]

Hi.  Unlike certain animals, humans have very limited powers of regeneration.  It is not normally possible for humans to grow back organs which have been entirely removed by surgery.  I can think of some possibilities why your ovaries seem to have "regrown" after being excised in 1992:

1.  Your surgeon removed something else back in 1992 which he mistook for your ovaries.
2.  Your surgeon was not able to remove your entire ovaries in 1992.  Some ovarian tissue was left, and this has now developed cysts and showed up on CT scan.
3.  The multiple cystic masses which the radiologist identified as "ovaries" are in fact, something else.

I think the laparoscopy is a good thing to do, so that the nature of those cystic masses can be clarified, given the conflicting information in your medical history.  Assuming that those cystic masses are in fact ovaries, removing them might be a valid option to take, considering that: 1) they seem to be causing symptoms (pelvic pain)  and 2) at 53 years old, you're probably menopausal (or nearly so) and wouldn't be needing your ovaries anyway.