Ovarian Cyst

An ovarian cyst is a fluid filled sac found on the ovaries, these cysts can be anywhere from the size of a pea, to the size of a basketball as seen in the image on the left middle with the Dr's hands on it. Most ovarian cysts are benign in nature and basically harmless.

The picture on the top left is a diagram of the fallopian tubes and ovaries with
a cyst on the left ovary. The cyst can be seen as the enlarged white sphere on the left ovary.

Below is a CT scan of an ovarian cyst. There are actually 2 cysts marked by arrows. The cysts ore a little darker and on either side of the uterus which is lighter in color and larger in diameter.

Ovarian cysts can cause some problems, and need to be removed if larger than 5 centimeters.

Some of the symtoms ovarian cysts may cause are, lower abdomen pain in the form of a dull aching pain, sudden severe pain that may be intermittent or canstant in nature. A woman may feel bloated and full, have tender breast, weight gain, tired all the time, nausea, vomitting, and trouble with bowel movements.

Treatment can range from nothing for small ovarian cysts that cause little or no problem, to surgical removal if large enough to cause problems. Sometimes the ovary can be salvaged and other times it may need to be removed with the cyst. A ruptured cyst may cause infection and a whole other array of problems.