What is an Ovarian Cyst?
Ovarian cysts are fluid-filled sacs or pockets within or on the surface of an ovary. Women have two ovaries — each about the size and shape of an almond — located on each side of the uterus. Eggs (ova) develop and mature in the ovaries and are released in monthly cycles during your childbearing years.
Many women have ovarian cysts at some time during their lives. Most ovarian cysts present little or no discomfort and are harmless. The majority of ovarian cysts disappear without treatment within a few months.
However, ovarian cysts — especially those that have ruptured — sometimes produce serious symptoms. The best ways to protect your health are to know the symptoms that may signal a more significant problem and to schedule regular pelvic examinations.
Symptoms
Most cysts don't cause any symptoms and go away on their own. A large ovarian cyst can cause abdominal discomfort. If a large cyst presses on your bladder, you may feel the need to urinate more frequently because bladder capacity is reduced.
The signs and symptoms of ovarian cysts, if present, may include:
- Pelvic pain — a dull ache that may radiate to your lower back and thighs
- Pelvic pain shortly before your period begins or just before it ends
- Pelvic pain during intercourse (dyspareunia)
- Pain during bowel movements or pressure on your bowels
- Nausea, vomiting or breast tenderness like that experienced during pregnancy
- Fullness or heaviness in your abdomen
- Pressure on your bladder that causes you to urinate more frequently or have difficulty emptying your bladder completely
When to see a doctor?
Seek immediate medical attention if you have:
- Sudden, severe abdominal or pelvic pain
- Pain accompanied by fever or vomiting
These signs and symptoms — or those of shock, such as cold, clammy skin; rapid breathing; and lightheadedness or weakness — indicate an emergency and mean that you need to see a doctor right away.
Causes
Most ovarian cysts develop as a result of the normal function of your menstrual cycle. These are known as functional cysts. Other types of cysts are much less common.
Functional cysts
Your ovaries normally grow cyst-like structures called follicles each month. Follicles produce the hormones estrogen and progesterone and release an egg when you ovulate. Sometimes a normal monthly follicle keeps growing. When that happens, it is known as a functional cyst. There are two types of functional cysts:
- Follicular cyst. Around the midpoint of your menstrual cycle, an egg bursts out of its follicle and travels down the fallopian tube in search of sperm and fertilization. A follicular cyst begins when something goes wrong and the follicle doesn't rupture or release its egg. Instead it grows and turns into a cyst.
- Corpus luteum cyst. When a follicle releases its egg, the ruptured follicle begins producing large quantities of estrogen and progesterone for conception. This follicle is now called the corpus luteum. Sometimes, however, the escape opening of the egg seals off and fluid accumulates inside the follicle, causing the corpus luteum to expand into a cyst.
The fertility drug clomiphene (Clomid, Serophene), which is used to induce ovulation, increases the risk of a corpus luteum cyst developing after ovulation. These cysts don't prevent or threaten a resulting pregnancy.
Functional cysts are usually harmless, rarely cause pain, and often disappear on their own within two or three menstrual cycles.
Other cysts
Some types of cysts are not related to the normal function of your menstrual cycle. These cysts include:
- Dermoid cysts. These cysts may contain tissue, such as hair, skin or teeth, because they form from cells that produce human eggs. They are rarely cancerous.
- Cystadenomas. These cysts develop from ovarian tissue and may be filled with a watery liquid or a mucous material.
- Endometriomas. These cysts develop as a result of endometriosis, a condition in which uterine endometrial cells grow outside your uterus. Some of that tissue may attach to your ovary and form a growth.
Dermoid cysts and cystadenomas can become large, causing the ovary to move out of its usual position in the pelvis. This increases the chance of painful twisting of your ovary, called ovarian torsion.
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.org/
MEDICAL NOTES:
Ovarian cysts are common and the vast majority are harmless. Because they cause symptoms that may be the same as ovarian tumors that may be cancerous, ovarian cysts should always be closely followed up. Ovarian cysts are fluid-filled sacs that form inside or on the surface of the ovaries, which are the female reproductive organs that lie in the lower abdomen. Ovarian cysts appear and disappear regularly as part of the normal menstrual cycle but cysts can become a medical problem if they remain in the ovaries, enlarge, and cause pain like what Gina had.
The causes of nonfunctional ovarian cysts are not yet fully understood but more and more research are finding multiple factors in the development of cysts, including a woman's general state of health, weight, diet, personal history, and lifestyle. Since emotional stress and anxiety is also involved, a holistic approach to healing should include measures to balance and improve physical, emotional, and mental health. In alternative treatment, practitioners closely consider lifestyle and diet change to minimize toxins getting deposited in the woman’s body that may contribute to hormone imbalance and weaken the immune system. At the same time, patient is also advised to undergo some detox procedures like sauna, lymphatic massage and exercise to eliminate whatever toxins or hormone disruptors have contributed to the cyst formation. Quantumin Plus has detoxifiers that can eliminate chemicals and heavy metals known to cause hormone disruption and weakening of the immune system. Not all cysts maybe eliminated with these approaches but if cyst or any tumors keep on recurring then trying detoxification and nutritionals maybe the solution to the problems.