Marchbirdy
member
Reged: 02/04/2008
Posts: 40
Loc: Manchester
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I had lots of severe one sided ovarian type pain in March which eventually subsided. The doctor referred me for an ultrasound scan and I was told that I had a small ovarian cyst which would be monitored. Last time I went I was referred back to my GP who said the cyst had grown very slightly. He has referred me to the hospital for further tests I am now a bit worried about whether this is serious or not. I no longer have any pain apart from when I have my period. Have any of you ladies had any similar problems? I don't particularly worry in the daytime, however, at night I become a conspiracy theorist and decide that something has shown on the scan. which they are not telling me as I always thought a small cyst was nothing to worry about.! I don't go back to the hospital until the 16th November - which gives me plenty of time to dwell on it! 
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Alice23
member
Reged: 21/09/2009
Posts: 190
Loc: In Wonderland
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Hi Marchbirdy
I'll send you a PM
Alice
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SueEllen
member
Reged: 02/09/2008
Posts: 260
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I had one which grew very fast and I was very ill with it. It was a very scarey time as due to the above I was advised it was possibly ovarian cancer, however I was lucky, they removed it and tests came back it was benign. Ovarian cysts are very common and most are benign but it's always best to get it checked out. Hope all goes well and it turns out just fine for you.
x
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scottishlady
member
Reged: 31/08/2009
Posts: 167
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As Sue Ellen stated ovarian cysts are rather common,try and get the thought out of your head that the hospital is hiding something from you,I don't think any hospital would do that.If it becomes too troublesome they will suggest surgery and since the surgeons do a lot of these operations it is quite straight forward,usually if an ovary is removed a patient who is young enough to still become pregnant still can,but usually have the one sex of child. Try not to worry too much and I hope all goes well for you
Annette (Ex Nurse)
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Elsie
member
Reged: 05/01/2008
Posts: 3378
Loc: Scotland
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I've had a couple of ultrasound scans to monitor one on my left ovary. Got my next one early December. I didn't have any pain with it at all, they just found it while ultrasounding me for something else. Fingers crossed, it is just part of my reproductive cycle.
Good luck on the 16th - as you can see from the amount of replies you've had, it's not that uncommon.
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JulieJ
member
Reged: 29/12/2008
Posts: 559
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Hi - I went through something similar, so know your fears.
Ovarian cysts are very complicated! It all depends what is causing them, and what part of the ovary tissue they are growing in.
The safest types are, I believe, called 'functional cysts' or possibly 'physiological cysts' and arise simply out of normal menstruation - left over egg sacs and things like that. They usually arise and disappear all on their own within a matter of months. They can cause pain, but are harmless.
Then, at the other extreme, you can get a variety of cancerous cysts, again, depending on their point of origin in the ovary itself. These, clearly, have to be got out, ASAP.
In the middle, you can have (what I had!) borderline cysts - these are cysts that are present, and, at the time, harmless, but they have a potential for 'turning nasty', ie, becoming cancerous and growing and invasive (ie, turning into ovarian cancer).
The best thing is that you are currently being monitored, so you are 'in the system'. Remember, EVEN IF, the cyst does turn out to be the dodgy kind, the golden rule about cancer is that, in general, cancer diagnosed very early on is NOT deadly! What makes ovarian cancer so dangerous is that symptoms go unnoticed, or misdiagnosed, or are even absent altogether, and so the cancer progresses away inside your body until it has spread very dangerously. This is why I say it is such good news that your cyst is being monitored.
May I ask if you have had 'internal' ultrasound scans (TVS - transvaginal scan)? If not, and they are only surface scans (like you have in pregnancy), then insist on a TVS, which gives a much clearer picture. Even so, it can still be tricky for the gynae to tell exactly what is going on, so there can sometimes be a bit of a 'call' to make. Again, watchful waiting - or rather 'active surveillance' as it is better known! - can be perfectly sensible, and providing the scans are frequent enough, the docs can be poised to whip out the ovary if they think a scan is showing the cyst up to no good suddenly.
If you are really anxious, and (a) are near London and (b) have some spare money (!!!!!), then you could do what I did and have one of the top expert 'cyst examiners' check you out! I got referred by my gynae to him, because my gynae wasn't sure what category my cyst was in, and the top guy looked carefully and labelled it 'borderline'. The chances of it 'turning nasty' I was told was less than 10%, but in the end I had a total hysterectomy (but then I'm turned fifty, so not missing anything!), and got everything out 'just in case'. Pathology on the removed ovary showed the cyst had been benign all along (by the way, the docs could do a biopsy on your cyst, but there is always a very, very slight risk that the procedure could, if the cyst IS cancerous, 'spill' a few cancer cells into the area).
If you want, please do PM me and I will pass on the name of the guy I saw in Harley Street - and dig out how much it cost (I'm afraid it was something like £275 I seem to recall!!!!!)
All the very best - Julie.
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JulieJ
member
Reged: 29/12/2008
Posts: 559
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"if an ovary is removed a patient who is young enough to still become pregnant still can,but usually have the one sex of child."
That's fascinating! How does that work, considering it's the sperm that determines the gender, not the eggs. (Or am I misunderstanding you?! ie, I THINK you're saying that it takes two ovaries, both producing eggs, to ensure you have a chance of having children of both sexes???)
Julie
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dolphin57
member
Reged: 06/01/2007
Posts: 639
Loc: Scotland
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Hi marchbirdy,
I have had an ovarian cyst for years which was noticed during a MRI scan for my back. It has been monitored every six months and as long as it stays the same the doctor has advised no action to be taken.
Hope you get good news on the 16th and get regular scans after that.
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'Time is the greatest teacher-
trouble is he kills all his students'
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Elsie
member
Reged: 05/01/2008
Posts: 3378
Loc: Scotland
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I'd just like to say thanks to JulieJ for explaining these cysts in a very straightforward manner - far more informative than my GP.
Many thanks!
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Chris_B
member
Reged: 27/02/2008
Posts: 20
Loc: Sussex
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Hi, I have had several ovarian cysts- one that ruptured and I was admitted as an emergency and then 6 years ago 2 more cysts had grown. Like you I had pain on one side that used to come and go. However most ovarian cysts are benign and if there is any suspicion that it is malignant you should be seen by a Consultant within 2 weeks, as this is standard referral practice these days. There is a blood test that can detect most ovarian cancers so if you are still concerned it might be worth exploring this. Although ovarian cancer is hard to detect there are usually other signs as well as pain - such as abdominal bloating, weight loss and tireness to name a few. Good luck!
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JulieJ
member
Reged: 29/12/2008
Posts: 559
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Elsie - thank you.
As ever, there is pots of info on the web, but it can be overwhelming and confusing! Some that turn up quite easily are -
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Ovarian-cyst/Pages/Introduction.aspx
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Ovarian-cyst/Pages/Symptoms.aspx
http://www.womenshealthlondon.org.uk/leaflets/ovarian/ovacystsymp.html
http://www.womens-health.co.uk/cysts.html
One of these says that 95% of ovarian cysts are NOT cancerous!
Also, I think it's a good idea to get the CA 125 blood test done. It is not 100% accurate as a diagnostic for cancer, but my understanding is (from the web!) that 70% of ovarian cancers show a raised CA 125 level, so that is not a bad indicator. Obviously that leaves 30% 'inaccuracy', though have to say I;m not clear as to whether it means that 30% of ovarian cancers do NOT raise the CA 125 level (so a normal level may not indicate you are cancer-free), OR that 30% of people with raised CA 125 levels don't have cancer after all....
If your GP won't do a CA 125 test (because they don't think you have cancer, or don't like its degree of inaccuracy) then you can have one done privately for about £85.
Best, Julie
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Marchbirdy
member
Reged: 02/04/2008
Posts: 40
Loc: Manchester
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Thanks for all your advice, especially JulieJ (W& H should take you on as an agony aunt!) it is really helpful. Going private is not an option my OH doesn't call me a communist for nothing (ha ha!). In fact I had suspected cancer scare a few years ago which turned out to be PID and nearly died but I refused point blank to go private - much to my OH's disgust.
I'm not too worried as I'm not a worrier by nature it's just as I said things look worse in the wee small hours. You have all been very helpful. Thank you! 
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