The ovarian cyst is a sac containing liquid, solid material or both, that has attached on the surface of the ovary or has developed inside of it. These cysts are mostly non cancerous (benign) but some of them can be cancerous (malign).

The ovarian cyst is not a rare disease and seems to affect women aged from 30 to 50. The most affected ones are those who have an irregular period. Both ovaries get be affected at the same time or at a distance of years one from another and they can have one or more cysts attached.

Once a month, in the process of ovulation, the women's body produces hormones which help the follicles grow. These follicles are shaped as a sac and contain the eggs and fluid. After the egg has grown the follicle normally ruptures in order to set the egg free. After that the follicle will become a smaller sac known as luteum. The luteum will continue to develop if the woman gets pregnant or will disappear if the fertilization does not happen. The ovarian cysts are forming due to the failure of the follicles rupturing or due to not releasing the egg.

Depending in what stage of the menstrual cycle the woman is, the functional cyst will form out of the follicle or of the corpus luteum. If the ovulation does not occur the follicle will grow on and on and so the follicular cyst will appear.

It seems that in patients who follow a treatment against infertility with feminine hormones like FSH the risk of functional cysts to form is quite high. In those women who follow an oral contraceptive treatment the risk of having a functional cyst is reduced due to the fact that the ovulation is suspended.

The ovarian cysts are diagnosed with an ultrasound machine or during a pelvic exam. MRI and CT scanning can also find the ovarian cysts and bring more information about them to the doctor.

Ovarian cysts do not give any symptom if the do not rupture. When complications occur, abdominal pain, bloating, pain during sexual intercourse, and difficulty when urinating might appear and suggest an ovarian cyst.

The ovarian cysts might cause complications when twisting and bleeding and they can get infected.

Treating an ovarian cyst is not easy and the doctor ahs to consider the age of the patient and whether she ahs children or not before deciding to apply one measure of treatment instead of another.

The ultrasound can give the doctor valuable information and sometimes it is best to wait and see because some cysts can disappear after a while. After a few weeks if the cyst is still there then surgery is indicated. The cyst will be removed and it is best to remove the ovary too as it could become cancerous after some years. If the patient does not have children yet and she does not want her ovary to be removed then the doctors will have to obey.

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