In most cases involving Cysts on ovaries, there are no symptoms and virtually no threat to one’s health. They also get cured on their own without any medication or special treatment. Conventional ovarian cyst medications and treatment primarily aim to provide relief from the various symptoms associated with the condition such as pelvic pain or pressure and prevent further development of cysts by preventing ovulation from taking place. Pills for birth control are often resorted to for putting a check on ovulation.
Ovarian Cysts Medicines at the Initial Stages
Functional cysts on ovaries usually disappear within a span of 1 to 2 menstrual cycles. After this, your doctor might recommend that you stay under regular observation without any medicine for the purpose of determining if the cyst is disappearing or growing in size by itself. Expect another ‘Pelvic Exam’ conducted by your health professional within 4 to 8 weeks for further confirmation of how the cyst is behaving.
If the cysts on ovaries do not improve even after 1 to 2 menstrual cycles, your consulting physician might suggest some more analytical tests for ascertaining that the symptoms are not being produced by another type of ‘ovarian growth’. Some simple measures like taking pain-reducing medicine and using heating pads can aid in providing temporary relief from some annoying and often painful symptoms experienced around this time.
Ovarian Cysts Medicines on an Ongoing Basis
Any cysts on ovaries that persist for more than 2 or 3 menstrual cycles need to be investigated thoroughly. When using ‘Ultrasound’ tests, the cysts will appear to have a weird look. This should be taken seriously because if it is left untreated, the cysts may give rise to the need for medication or surgery for their removal ultimately. You will probably be advised to continue taking ‘Birth Control Pills’ for preventing ovulation and thus, stopping more cysts from forming. On the flip side, too much of birth control medication may adversely affect your chances of getting a healthy pregnancy later on.
Considering Surgery
The need for surgery arises when oral medication fails to make the cysts go away. This surgery, known as cystectomy, can be done with the help of laparoscopic means, which basically requires a little incision and is a very safe method. Extreme pain that is associated with advanced stages of the condition may require a surgical operation on an emergency basis. If the case is found to be more severe (revealed by means of ultrasound tests), or if there is a risk of ovarian cancer or other threats to the patient’s life involved, a more extensive surgery viz. laparotomy, which involves removing the larger abdominal incision, is recommended.
Surgical means are often sought to confirm the diagnosis of the cyst. It also helps in evaluating the growths in the ovary when a possibility of cancer in the ovary is suspected. What is important to realize is that surgery may not be the absolute or permanent solution to the problem of cysts on ovaries. This usually presupposes the removal of one or more ovaries. Surgical intervention becomes necessary when the patient faces complications like rupturing or twisting (torsion), severe bleeding, extreme pain, enlargement of the cyst (more than 3 inches) which causes it to press against other internal organs and more. A persistent nature of the cysts which refuse to go on their own over time, and anything unusual observed through ultrasound tests may also necessitate a surgery.
In spite of the obvious benefits of getting a surgery done to remove the cysts on ovaries, there have been reports of some complications associated with such a procedure. The complications thrown up by laparoscopic surgery may be in the form of difficulties while accessing, operative procedure complications or in some rare cases, pneumoperitoneum physiological complications.
Surgery Choices
Surgery choices can be broadly divided into two types – In case of small incisions it is laparoscopy and when the abdomen area needs to be cut it is laparotomy. Laparoscopy is often used to confirm the presence of ovarian cysts in women who are still capable of bearing children. Non-cancerous cysts on ovaries, even if they are persistent, large or painful, can be removed easily by laparoscopy. The ovary is spared in such a procedure. Laparotomy is opted for cysts that have grown too large. This is also the preferred mode of surgery for cases involving ovarian cancer, or if when there are problems in the abdomen or in the pelvic region. For a patient with cancer, a larger incision is required to enable the surgeon to study the area closely to remove the cancerous growth, which is a difficult proposition with laparoscopy.
Factors to be considered
One of the most important points to ponder and take up for consideration before initiating a treatment is if you get cysts on ovaries once menopause has set in. There is an increased risk of cancer in the ovary after menopause. Thus, all the ‘Postmenopausal Ovarian Growths’ should be carefully checked and investigated for signs of cancer. Doctors often would advise on removing the affected ovary or both, viz. oophorectomy, if cysts develop after menopause on an ovary. Interestingly, there is a growing trend of moving away from surgery, particularly when the cyst is small in size and quite simple for postmenopausal women, and medication is strongly favoured to it. But beware, certain postmenopausal cysts in the ovary like unilocular cysts have thin walls and a compartment and can lead to cancer.
Holistic approach
Adopting a holistic approach when the cysts on ovaries are at an early stage can help to prevent complications in the future and improve life in general. The holistic method remains simple and it is also among the least painful methods for curing cysts in the ovary. It operates on the central philosophy, ‘Prevention is better than cure’. It not only aims to cure ovarian cysts in affected women, but also promotes means that prevent them from appearing in the first place. It lays tremendous stress upon two aspects, viz. optimism and physical fitness. Medications for ovarian cysts have found a new hope with holistic remedies.
