Ovarian Cyst

My Mom's bestfriend had undergone surgery yesterday at 8am (Philippine Time). She went out of the operating room at about 1:30pm. What had led her to her surgery? She had an ovarian cyst. According to the doctor it was about the size of a 7 month old baby in a woman's womb. My mom was really crying when her BFF entered the Operating Room.

What is an ovarian cyst? Wikipedia defined ovarian cyst as "any collection of fluid, surrounded by a very thin wall, within an ovary. Any ovarian follicle that is larger than about two centimeters is termed an ovarian cyst. An ovarian cyst can be as small as a pea, or larger than a cantaloupe.

Most ovarian cysts are functional in nature, and harmless (benign). In the US, ovarian cysts are found in nearly all premenopausal women, and in up to 14.8% of postmenopausal women.

Ovarian cysts affect women of all ages. They occur most often, however, during a woman's childbearing years.

Some ovarian cysts cause problems, such as bleeding and pain. Surgery may be required to remove cysts larger than 5 centimeters in diameter."

Some of the symptoms that a woman experience having an ovarian cyst are the following:

• Dull aching, or severe, sudden, and sharp pain or discomfort in the lower abdomen (one or both sides), pelvis, vagina, lower back, or thighs; pain may be constant or intermittent -- this is the most common symptom
• Fullness, heaviness, pressure, swelling, or bloating in the abdomen
• Breast tenderness
• Pain during or shortly after beginning or end of menstrual period.
• Irregular periods, or abnormal uterine bleeding or spotting
• Change in frequency or ease of urination (such as inability to fully empty the bladder), or difficulty with bowel movements due to pressure on adjacent pelvic anatomy
• Weight gain
• Nausea or vomiting
• Fatigue
• Infertility
• Increased level of hair growth
• Increased facial hair or body hair
• Headaches in some cases
• Strange ribs pains, which feel muscular
• Bloating
• Occasionally, strange nodules that feel like bruises under the layer of skin
• Feeling of lumps on the lower abdomen

Physical and medical examination is really of great help. Regular visit to the doctor also can help us to detect it early. If only my mom's bestfriend knew that she had one while it was still new, she should not had undergone operation and spend big cah. Anyway, she is recuperating now, the important thing is that she safe and healthy.