Ovarian cysts and watchful waiting
Common Questions and Answers about Ovarian cysts and watchful waiting
ovarian-cysts
cm to 5cm in the past 2 years. I was doing the watchful watchful waiting under the care of a gyn who was sure it would go away. I wish she would have taken it out when after having several TV/US' it showed it was staying the same size or just minimally smaller on one. Then I broke my leg and was delayed over a year in following up, so now it has to come out. My gyn surgeon is taking out the ovary and the cyst, and recommends I take out the right one as a precaution.
Hi there,
First off, don't panic. Most women have cysts. It is a normal part of menstruation. Also some free fluid is absolutely normal. Did the letter say what type of cyst it is? Most cysts resolve themselves after a cycle or two. Even if it doesn't, 95% of all cysts are benign. Depending on what type it is will determine what they do next. Most of the time it is the watchful waiting approach. Again this is absolutely normal. Are you having any symptoms from the cyst?
I went to the doctor on 11/6 because I thought I had appedicitus (pain on right lower pelvis, nausea, vomitting) and on a ct they found an ovarian cyst which was 3.7cm. My doctor said it would go away in three days. Obviously the pain continued and I had an ultrasound on 11/18 which showed "No evidence of intrauterine pathology. 5.7 x 4.5cm cyst seen within the right adnexal area" I am in much pain but my doctor suggests taking motrin and doing a follow up ultrasound in 3 months.
Background: Age 49, pre-menopausal, married 25 years with 4 children ages 9-16, diagnosed this past year with mild iron-deficiency anemia but otherwise quite healthy. The typical causes of anemia (heavy menses, GI problems) have been ruled out. Never any gyne problems.
Question: Dr. noted an ovarian thickening and found adnexal tenderness during routine pelvic exam. I'm being referred for a complete pelvic ultrasound.
A smooth walled cyst with no solid components means it's probably fluid filled. It's size is about the size of a small lemon.Have you had a follow-up with your gyn to go over the test results? Cysts are very normal , especially in pre-menopausal women. Depending on it's type, size, your age, and other factors, your doctor could opt to do a " watchful waiting" over the course of a few menstrual cycles to see if it resolves on it's own.
(I had a large dermoid cyst on the same ovary removed when I was 32 and have had follicular cysts on and off also since my 20s.) A follow-up transvaginal sonogram last week showed the cyst found in November was still there, and another cyst had shown up, too. The sono tech could not find my left ovary. Here are my questions: My late mom was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in her early 50s, and breast cancer was prevalent in her family. Should I ask my doctor for a CA-125 test?
t had one, possibly a Cat-scan or MRI to get a clearer picture of the size and content of the cyst. Cysts are fairly common in younger women and they may decide to do a watchful waiting to see if it shrinks in a few monthly cycles, or can give you drugs to try to shrink the cyst before a surgery is considered. This all depends on the type and size of the cyst present. Try not to worry as most cyst are 95%benign.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Also, is there any current opinion regarding use of Avodart or Proscar while in Watchful Waiting mode? I understand there would be a likely reduction in PSA, but that new PSA baseline be established and return to monitoring of PSA velocity. Not sure what, if any, benefit this would provide. I am considering brachytherapy as an ultimate choice of treatment, but do not want my "window" for it to close. Your thoughts?
Hi There,
There are definitely situations where there are several possible approaches. For young women with pain and ovarian cysts, the most common approach is watchful waiting so as not to do unnecessary surgery.
Commonly, one would consider adding a medical intervention to suppress ovarian cycling such as the birth control pill or even inducing artificial menopause with something like lupron. If the pain and cysts go away, then it is usually reasonable to continue on the pill.
Well, that is a leap for your gyn to make. Typically, ovarian cancer is a seeding cancer and this is why its not found usually until it is very advanced (and you are quite young for that, not in the usual patient population diagnosed). By seeding, I mean it starts out like the size as sand and those are tiny tumors that grow. They can easily do a CA 125 test which is a blood marker test for ovarian cancer. I'm not sure what other cancer he is talking about.
t say what kind of cysts they are or what size, so she is probably doing a watchful waiting which is fine. I would do the 2nd ultrasound and the hormone testing and see if the cysts are gone or unchanged. The lining is thick but where are you in your monthly cycle. If you are still having periods and about to have one, the lining will be thick because it hasn't shed yet. If you are already in menopause, a thickened lining would have to be biopsied.
I do not have any advice. All I can tell you is your not alone. I am scheduled for my second ultasound in 2 weeks. I too have had fibroids most of my life, The good news is they shrink after menopause. I have pelvic and cronic lower back pain. The doctor found a cyst on my ovary. She is taking a "watchful waiting" approach which I think is the normal course of action. If the cyst continues to grow or causes pain I think the doctor will recommend surgery.
For a few weeks I've had intermittent lower left abdominal pain just above my hip, it started at first while peeing but is beginning to lessen. There is no stinging when passing water. My periods have disappeared to literally just a bit of spotting every couple of weeks (then again I have a new Nexplanon implant, was put in in March. Noticed they've been lighter since that. I feel well in myself, when I say pain it's more just a pressure sensation.
I'm past 60 myself and had a cyst removed in January..It was small and my Gyn/Surgeon gave me the choice of "watching and waiting" or having the ovary out. I'm not a "watch and wait" person so I opted for removal of left ovary & tube. Now... did they also suggest a CA-125 blood test? That blood test is not too reliable in premenopausal women but for women our age, it carries a little more merit.
Also, I'm going to throw something out as well..
Your doctor is doing all the routine test associated with ovarian cyst. Women of any age can and do get cysts, and cysts are not uncommon even if your post-menopausal. Ovarian cysts are 95% benign, so let that be of some relief to you. A Ca-125 can have false positives in pre-menopausal women from conditions like endometriosis and fibroids, ect. For women that are post-menopausal it can be somewhat more accurate, but there are women that have had negative results that have had malignancies.
Maybe my SOD2 genotype is AA, and the selenium helped. Maybe all men in watchful waiting should determine if selenium will help them.
I also took about 900 mg genistein, 50 mg lycopene, 0.5 mcg calcitriol, some NSAIDs, and some vitamin E daily. I also took dutasteride for a total of 17 months. (On-and-off dutasteride convinced me that I could never endure serious ADT. Thus my "watchful waiting" could only be waiting for metastasis and death (or for the recent good news).
I have cramping and left side and hip and left pelvis pain, he does not think it is related to the cysts nor the fibroid. He sent me to neorsurgerian and had a MRI of the lumbar spin and found nothing. The neorsurgerian sent me to a pain clinc where I got two injections the first in the hip thinking it may be the SI joint the other in the spine thinking it might be a herrinated disk.
If you're concerned about cancer, you also may want to go to a Gynecologist/oncologist rather than an Ob/gyn. The lead doctor in my case was a Gyn/oncologist who was working with my Ob/gyn. You need to have your records sent prior to the appointment. If you have a fax you can write the request along with where you want them sent. Ask for a fax # when you set up the appointment. If your doc asks, just state that you want to explore various treatment options.
I’m 50 years old, perimenopausal (continue to have regular, but very light periods), and have a 4 cm dermoid cyst on my left ovary. My doctor has given me the option of watching and waiting or having it removed laproscopically. She suggested that if I choose to have it removed, I have the ovary removed also due to my age. The cyst was discovered while trying to determine the cause of abdominal pain that turned out to be a ruptured cyst on the right ovary.
If your having the cysts checked on a regular basis and having blood work done, I will assume your doctor is doing a watchful waiting to see if they shrink. The type of cyst and it's size, whether you pre-menopausal or post-menopausal are all the factors the doctor uses to determine if surgery is necessary. I just had surgery for 2 cysts that were being monitored the same way and they turned out to be completely different that what the TV/Us, Cat-scan and reports were suggesting.
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