Saturday, December 27, 2008

Types Of Ovarian Cysts - Just The Facts For All Women

By Rebecca Wincup

Although usually not usually serious, functional ovarian cysts are a problem that many women will experience. Ovarian cysts can become cancerous however most are not. Most functional ovarian cysts present no obvious symptoms and no treatment is required, however there is a chance ovarian cysts can cause discomfort and some may require treatment.

When ovulation does not take place, or when a mature follicle breaks down, a simple form of ovarian cyst may form, called a follicular cyst. This cyst can become as large as 2 or more inches in diameter, but will usually disappear by itself after only a few months, and will usually show no symptoms.

An ovarian gland will produce progesterone during the ovulation portion of the monthly cycle of menstruation when the egg is released, and this is when a corpus luteum cyst could potentially develop. When a corpus luteum is healthy, it is approximately one inch in diameter, round in shape, and fluid filled. Corpus luteum cysts do not usually have noticeable symptoms. They can develop at the end of a menstrual cycle or early on during a pregnancy. Many of them do not require treatment, and, fortunately, disappear on their own.

A functional cyst on the ovaries that is filled with blood that is released from time to time is known as a hemorrhagic ovarian cyst. Although this type of cyst won't always burst, if it does it will cause a burning feeling in the pelvic area from leaking blood. Hemorrhagic cysts are common, however, and most of the time nothing needs to be done to treat them. If a doctor thinks the cyst is an indicator of endometriosis, they may perform surgery to remove it.

Women can develop dermoid cysts at any time and age, but they are more common during the childbearing years. A dermoid cyst is one type of an ovarian cyst that grows from the totipotential germ cell in the ovaries. Tissues such as bone, teeth and hair can form from this ovarian cell. Dermoid cysts may contain solid physical tissue. Indded, in some cases doctors have found hair and teeth forming in these cysts. Treatment for these types of cysts is to remove them as they can block the flow of blood to the ovaries.

An ovarian cyst that is pathological includes both tumors and endometriosis. These are not common and can only be found after examination by a doctor. A tumor can be defined as a pathological ovarian cyst and be either cancerous or not, benign or malignant. Tumors need to be dealt with as soon as they are discovered. A tumor is generally 6 cm or over, thick walled and persistent. On the other hand women in their prime reproductive years will often develop endometrioid cysts. These endometrioid cysts are present when a woman has endometriosis and are formed when a portion of endometrial tissue bleeds, falls off and then becomes transplanted in the ovaries.

There are different types of ovarian cyst. Whilst most are harmless pathological cysts can lead to other problems and need to be examined and tested. Functional cysts generally represent no long term problem and will disappear of their own accord with a little bit of time. All women should safeguard their health by learning about ovarian cysts and discussing the possibility of cysts with their physicians.

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