Denver, CO (PressExposure) March 22, 2010 -- If during your annual exam with your gynecologist, a cyst was discovered, then you and your doctor need to discuss what should be done. An ovarian cyst may or may not be dangerous to one's health. However, it would be risky not to give it the proper attention, if anything at all, it should be observed for a few months.
A cyst that is not dangerous will usually rupture and disappear within months. In this case, no special ovarian cyst treatment will be needed. However, if the cyst does not go away, and starts to grow or become painful, then a ovarian cyst treatment must be prescribed.
The ovarian cyst treatment will rely not just on the growth, but also the age and symptoms of the patient. If you experience more discomfort every week that passes, you could ask for an ultrasound to test the contents of the cyst. It is possible that the cyst is growing but there is nothing inside the cyst except blood. The ultrasound can give your doctor a better idea of what is happening.
Here are some of the ovarian cyst treatment options you might have to settle for.
First, patience is the key to finding out what is wrong. This is not something that can be rushed unless you decide right away to have the cyst removed surgically. One word of caution your doctor will give you is that cyst is something that occurs naturally, and can happen for no reason at all, especially for a woman of child-bearing years. Thus, an immediate reaction to have the cyst removed surgically would be on the extreme side.
Second, If the cyst does not disappear after a couple of menstrual cycles, then the ultrasound will be done. This will help determine if their is fluid inside the cyst or there is a tumor growing. Furthermore, after a couple of months, the doctor will also check the size of the cyst to find out if it is growing or not.
Third, your doctor might ask you to take contraceptives to stop new cysts from growing. This is a routine request because birth control pills have been found to reduce your risk of ovarian cancer.
Fourth and last resort would be to have the cyst removed surgically. This can happen if the ultrasound reveals a tumor growing, cancerous cells found in the lab report, or the pain and discomfort is increasing. Also, if the cyst continues to grow, then surgery might be the best option, whether or not it is cancerous or not.
For young women, to avoid the trauma of losing an ovary, it is possible to remove the cyst without removing the both ovaries. This is an operation called Cystectomy. The infected ovary, or the ovary that has the cyst will be taken out, but the other ovary, if it is found to be clear of cysts can be left intact. This will allow the woman to still have babies.
For older women, cysts in the ovaries is more dangerous because of the age factor. Women who are near their menopause years are at higher risk for ovarian cancer, and any cyst found should be removed as soon as possible. Most often, the doctor will recommend a hysterectomy which removes both ovaries. Be sure to research your ovarian cyst treatments thoroughly