Usually, that is how. I had a 10x11 cm dermoid cyst on my right ovary back in 2009. Went to the ER with pain and it was found in a CT scan I opted for to determine if it was appendicitis. They removed it that night and even saved my ovary. I was told even if they had to remove the ovary, it wouldn't be much of a concern for my fertility. Trust me, I've always wanted to be a mom someday, so it was on my top list of concerns since I'd already gone in expecting some sort of surgery. I even asked it again at the post-op follow-up to make sure there weren't any concerns.
You'll have to move around post-op, which hurts even with the pain meds, but make sure you take them to avoid problems. It took me about six weeks before I could return to my college, and even then, I was a bit tender to the point walking from one side to the other of my five-minute-from-any-point-to-another tiny little campus was definitely felt but didn't hurt. I just was very glad for a seat when I got to the classroom.
The surgery itself is fairly quick and performed under general anesthesia. As soon as you can have a bowel movement, they release you. Mine was done laparascopically, which is just a maybe 5-inch-ish long incision a bit above my pubic bone (width-wise, not length-wise).
Thank you so much for your response. I am so glad to hear that I should worry about fertility. You said yours was done laparoscopically? That was one of my concerns because alot of the research says the cut off for that is around 7cm and generally they perform the larger removals as a laparotomy.
I guess I just should wait till I talk to the doctor but it is completely stressing me out.
Definitely wait and talk with the doctor and try not to worry about it too much. I can only imagine how nerve wrecking it is to know you have this all sitting in your future. I'd write down each of the questions on a piece of paper as they come up so you can ask at your follow-up appointment! Your doctor will know what is best in your situation. I hope they can do the smaller incision for you!
Sorry you are dealing with this. Removal of one ovary can reduce fertility so it is best to have just the cyst removed (cystectomy). Some surgeons have better cystectomy skills than others so be sure to ask how many cystectomies the surgeon has done. And if you are not comfortable with a surgeon, get another opinion. Good luck to you.