Symptoms of Ovarian Cysts

Often, ovarian cysts don't cause any symptoms. You may not realize you have one until you visit your health care provider for a routine pelvic exam. Ovarian cysts can, however, cause problems if they twist, bleed, or rupture.

If you have any of the symptoms below, it's important to have them checked out. That's because they can also be symptoms of ovarian tumors. Ovarian cancer often spreads before it is detected.

Symptoms of ovarian cysts and tumors include:

• Pain or bloating in the abdomen
• Difficulty urinating, or frequent need to urinate
• Dull ache in the lower back
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Painful menstruation and abnormal bleeding
• Weight gain
• Nausea or vomiting
• Loss of appetite, feeling full quickly

If the diagnosis is ovarian cancer, the doctor will use the diagnostic test results to determine whether the cancer has spread outside of the ovaries. If it has, the doctor will also use the results to determine how far it has spread. This diagnostic procedure is called staging. This helps the doctor plan your treatment.

Ovarian Cysts Treatments

Most ovarian cysts will go away on their own. If you don't have any bothersome symptoms, especially if you haven’t yet gone through menopause, your doctor may advocate ”watchful waiting.” The doctor won’t treat you. But the doctor will check you every one to three months to see if there has been any change in the cyst.

Birth control pills may relieve the pain from ovarian cysts. They prevent ovulation, which reduces the odds that new cysts will form.

Surgery is an option if the cyst doesn’t go away, grows, or causes you pain. There are two types of surgery:

• Laparoscopy uses a very small incision and a tiny, lighted telescope-like instrument. The instrument is inserted into the abdomen to remove the cyst. This technique works for smaller cysts.
• Laparotomy involves a bigger incision in the stomach. Doctors prefer this technique for larger cysts and ovarian tumors. If the growth is cancerous, the surgeon will remove as much of the tumor as possible. This is called debulking. Depending on how far the cancer has spread, the surgeon may also remove the ovaries, uterus, fallopian tubes, omentum — fatty tissue covering the intestines — and nearby lymph nodes.

Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation may be given individually or together. It is possible for cancerous ovarian tumors to return. If that happens, you will need to have more surgery, sometimes combined with chemotherapy or radiation.