An ovarian cyst is normally considered to be a harmless structure made up of fluids. To this extent, a cyst will often have no apparent symptoms. Indeed, it is a common occurrence in women and can occur during pregnancy. Ovarian cysts during pregnancy occur at a ratio of about 1 in a thousand women. In most cases during pregnancy, an ovarian cysts will be benign. It is considered quite rare for ovarian cyst to be cancerous. It is estimated that 1 in 25000 births have an incidence of ovarian cancer. Doctors use an ultrasound in order to identify ovarian cysts as benign or malignant. Fluid-filled masses, without the thick walls of septation, are usually common, benign ovarian cysts. Nevertheless, an ultrasound cannot determine whether the ovarian cyst is benign or malignant with absolute certainty. Ovarian cysts can become large, even when they are benign, and this leads to special complications during pregnancy. Though large cysts can cause pain whether or not a woman is pregnant, when a large cyst ruptures or twists on itself during pregnancy, there is the possibility of a miscarriage or pre-term labor. A baby may be delivered earlier than usual due to complications with ovarian cysts during pregnancy. Under most circumstance, women rarely have problems with ovarian cysts during pregnancy, so long as the ovarian cyst does not become too large or ruptures. Even if the ovarian cyst ruptures, the result is often only pain and rarely infection. This pain can be lessened through the use of pain relievers and will not interfere with the normal progress of pregnancy. Moreover, despite their ovarian cyst, women can still use anesthesia during labor. Consequently, ovarian cysts do not present a huge threat during a pregnancy. If the cyst gets to be quite large it can twist on itself. This can be painful and will often necessitate a surgical procedure to remove the cyst. This shouldn't harm the baby or adversely affect the pregnancy in any way, but if it can be avoided then it should be during a pregnancy. It may become medically necessary to remove when the ovarian cyst is larger than 6 to 8 cm, unless spontaneous shrinkage occurs. If the ovarian cyst needs to be removed, the optimum time to perform this procedure is during the second trimester as this is the time that will present fewer complications. Ovarian cysts are removed by laparoscopy but larger cysts will probably require an open incision. Because the risk of a large ovarian cyst rupturing is very high, pregnant women who develop large ovarian cysts need to be closely monitored by their doctor. In short, while ovarian cysts during pregnancy are fairly common, you should be sure to monitor them carefully during the term of your pregnancy. In most cases they will simply disappear with time and there will be no harmful affects. Indeed, ovarian cysts are generally no worse for the health of the would-be mother than they would be at any other time.
A majority of the time any ovarian cyst discovered during pregnancy is usually a benign cyst, and for a woman to actually develop ovarian cancer during pregnancy is very unusual. Approximately one in twenty five thousand pregnancies actually have a chance of getting ovarian cancer. Through the use of a ultrasound similar to the one used for the baby, technicians can determine if the ovarian cyst is benign or malignant. Smaller, fluid filled masses with thin walls are the more common variety of benign ovarian cyst. Unfortunately the ultrasound is not 100% effective when determining if a ovarian cyst during pregnancy is benign or malignant.
Even though a ovarian cyst that has grown quite large is not usually a health concern, it can lead to health complications for a pregnant woman. When the same thing happens to someone who is not pregnant it can cause extreme pain. But if that same ovarian cyst ruptures or twists inside of a pregnant woman it can problems like pre-term labor or even possibly a miscarriage.
Ovarian cysts generally do not pose a threat to the health of a pregnant woman unless the cyst grows and breaks apart. Even when an ovarian cyst ruptures, infection is unlikely. Pain can result from a rupturing cyst, however. Using pain relievers can lessen the pain and will not interfere with pregnancy. Even with an ovarian cyst during pregnancy, anesthesia can still be used throughout labor. Therefore, ovarian cysts without further issues do not present concerns to pregnancy.
The only time when a ovarian cyst generally requires surgery is when it it becomes twisted. The surgery to correct the problem will usually not cause any pregnancy complications. But with every surgery there are going to be risks that should be avoided at all costs if possible. Generally, removal will only be preformed if the cyst grows any larger then 6 CM in diameter.
When a woman is pregnant, it is best to operate on ovarian cysts during the second trimester at 14 to 16 weeks. Though some cysts are removed by laparoscopy, larger cysts can only be removed through an open incision. It is likely for large ovarian cysts to rupture. Therefore, women with large ovarian cysts should talk to their doctors about ovarian cysts during pregnancy. In many cases, doctors merely watch over their patients until the second trimester, in which they choose to operate with no complications.
It's certainly possible for a woman to develop ovarian cysts while she is pregnant and such cysts should be monitored carefully. But usually there is nothing to fear, since ovarian cysts during pregnancy carry no greater risk than that for a woman who is not pregnant.
Both Rebecca Wincup & Jay Tyler are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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