To understand when surgery may be an option for ovarian cysts, you first need to know more about these cysts and how they affect your body.
At Virtuosa GYN, board-certified OB/GYN Susan Crockett, MD, and our team of women’s health specialists provide education and treatment in a supportive atmosphere so you can make the right decision for your individual needs.
Here’s what you need to know about ovarian cysts and surgery.
Types of ovarian cysts
Ovarian cysts occur in several forms, including:
Follicular cysts
Follicular cysts develop when a follicle — the capsule that holds each egg — fails to release an egg. Instead, the follicle keeps growing and forms a cyst. Follicular cysts may not cause any symptoms, and they usually disappear naturally within a few menstrual cycles.
Corpus luteum cysts
After a follicle opens and releases its egg, it retracts and starts making hormones (estrogen and progesterone). The follicle is then known as the corpus luteum.
Sometimes, the follicle opening (where the egg exits) may reseal, blocking the exit. This causes fluid accumulation and cyst formation. Corpus luteum cysts often go away on their own.
Endometriomas
Endometriomas are cysts that develop in women with endometriosis, when the tissue that lines the uterus grows where it’s not supposed to.
Cancerous cysts
While rare in women of childbearing age, cancerous cysts can develop. They represent ovarian cancer.
Cystadenomas
Cystadenomas contain watery fluid and may become quite large, but they tend to be benign.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Women with PCOS often have many small ovarian cysts. The condition is the result of abnormal amounts of androgens, male sex hormones.
While the most common types of cysts — follicular and corpus luteum cysts — are usually asymptomatic, other cysts may cause serious problems, such as cyst rupture, moving the ovary out of position, twisting the ovary, cutting off ovarian blood flow, or causing severe pain.
Ovary cyst complications may also contribute to infertility.
When it’s time to think about ovarian cyst removal
Since most ovarian cysts go away without causing symptoms, a watchful waiting approach is often the first step. With watchful waiting, we monitor your cyst over time, using ultrasound exams to look for changes.
Birth control pills are often part of ovarian cyst treatment, because they can stabilize your hormones and deter new cyst growth.
But if your ovarian cyst is growing quite large, causing severe pain, or affecting your fertility, we may recommend surgery. Additionally, ovarian cysts that are potentially or likely cancerous may require surgery.
The decision to have surgery is a complicated one that’s highly individual based on your wish to have children, your age, the size of the cyst, your cancer risk factors, and other personal factors.
At Virtuosa GYN, we specialize in fertility-sparing procedures, which means we can remove your cyst but leave your ovary (and your ability to get pregnant) intact. Surgical removal of both ovaries leads to immediate menopause, so fertility-sparing surgery can also help you avoid menopause until it happens naturally.
But in cases of ovarian cancer, the best treatment is often ovary removal. We work in collaboration with an oncologist to ensure you get complete care if you have ovarian cancer.
Knowing you have an ovarian cyst can be worrying, but being armed with the knowledge in this blog can help you feel confident and calm so you can make the best decisions for your situation.
Our Virtuosa GYN team is here to guide you with compassion, so call our San Antonio, Texas, office at (210) 664-4753 today.
