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Severe Pain - Complex Cysts on Ovary

Alright. Background: I am only 19, and have had rather heavy periods since I started mensturating. Three days ago I woke up and had this small pain in my lower right abdomen. No big deal. I was going to the washroom (bowel movement, if that helps), and my lower abdomen started having SEVERE pain. Like so severe I could barely stand up. I started bawling my eyes out and ran to tell my husband I needed to go to the ER. I was in so much pain, honestly I have never been in that much pain before. I went to the ER and they immediately were concerned it was my appendix. They did a blood test, every thing was normal but my white blood cell count was up a bit. Not sure if the WBC count had anything to do with the rest of the story. It was not my appendix. They started giving me morphine for the pain through an IV. I was in so much pain I could barely concentrate. The morphine really helped though. They decided to do a CT scan. I believe it was the CT scan that showed that I had a large cyst on my right ovary. The doctor was concerned that my ovary was twisting due to the large cyst. (Just to let you know, I do not know all the correct terms yet since I am new to this problem.) They did an ultrasound and vaginal ultrasound. I actually have two cysts on my right ovary and they are both 4.4cm in diameter each. They are "complex cystic lesions". Basically they gave me pain medications and released me that night. They send to make a followup with my gynecologist for this week - my appointment is on Friday. Since that night, I have had no pain whatsoever.

Has anyone experienced this?

I am very concerned, and have a couple questions.

Are complex ovarian cysts common?
Did my ovary twist due to this and lose blood flow? Could my ovary be dead?
What is the possibility of needing surgery?
What was causing me this excruciating pain?

Any help, advice, or stories are gladly welcomed!

Thanks :)
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Avatar universal
COMMUNITY LEADER
Welcome to the community. I am sorry you are dealing with this. Ovarian cysts are common and most resolve on their own although complex cysts are less apt to do so. Imaging cannot always tell the type of cyst so it could look complex and end up being some other type. Once they get to be about 7cm or so, there is risk of ovarian torsion. Being that you have two 4.4cm cysts on the one ovary, that would seem to be just as bad as one 7cm cyst as far as the risk of pulling/twisting the ovary. But at the same time, you do not want to have surgery unnecessarily since it has its own set of risks.

Like you, I had sudden onset of pain. It lasted a whole day and then went away. I saw my gyn a few days later because I'd never had menstrual problems or pelvic pain. Ultrasound revealed a large complex cyst (cannot recall the size). By the time I had surgery 3 weeks later, the cyst was 9.5cm. Unfortunately, my gynecologist removed much more than was necessary. Instead of removing just the cyst, he removed both ovaries, my uterus, and tubes (hysterectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy). I have been suffering the negative effects ever since.

If you need surgery, hopefully your gynecologist is skilled at removing cysts (cystectomy) and will save your ovary. We actually need our ovaries for much more than having babies. They produce hormones our whole lives for optimal health. If you are not comfortable with your treatment, you can always seek a second opinion. A reproductive endocrinologist may be more apt to use more conservative (organ sparing) procedures.

Let us know how this plays out. Hoping the cysts go away and you are not faced with surgery. And if you do need surgery, I hope it goes well!
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Avatar universal
Reading this took me back to 1 1/2 years ago when I had the exact same thing happen to me. It's as if I were reading my own story. In my case my cysts where only 4cm on the left and 3.5 on the right. I also have complex cysts. At that time my ultrasound scan said the could be hemorhaggic cysts. I would get the exact same pain you did. It sometimes come on the first or second day of my period. I would end up in the ER because I could barely walk. I had to hunch over and the pain was really intense. They would just give me pain meds and I would be fine the next day. I ended up seeing my gynecologist who didn't seem too concerned since my cysts where rather "small" So I figured I would be fine. Time went by and the pain would come every 3-4 months. But this time it would feel almost like a cramp that would not go away. Leaving me very sore on the abdominal area, ribs and back for a day or two. Finally last month I went to see my gynecologist because my husband and I were havung triuble getting pregnant. She sent me for an ultrasound since I brought up the cysts to her (She was my new gyn at the time, the old one left the clinic) The ultrasound came back saying my left cyst had grown and was now 10cm! My right one was now 4cm and they were not sure if it was a hemorhaggic, endometrioma or dermoid cyst. The only weird thing is that now that my cysts have grown I hardly get any pms symptoms. Before I would get a fever, thigh pain, fatigue, nausea and no apettite and a shotting pain down my leg on the first day. Now I only get sore breasts. I will soon be having surgery to remove both cysts. I am very nervous and scared but they need to be removed because they can either burst or get twisted around the ovary. I am really sorry you are going through all this. I would recommend talking to your obgyn to see what is best for you. Keep watch on your cysts and hopefully they don't grow anymore.
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