Ovarian Cysts: Causes, Risks And Treatments

By: Mary Parker

Ovarian cysts are small sacs which consist of fluids and get developed in female ovaries. Most of these cysts are harmless but some may create problems by causing pain or rupturing or bleeding. One method of ridding yourself of ovarian cysts is to have them surgically removed.

Physiological ovarian cysts

All women of child bearing age who are not on pills have certain cystic structures in their ovaries, which continuously come and go. Such structures are essential for the development and subsequent release of the egg. They are referred to as "physiological" as they constitute a part of the general function of the ovaries.

A maturing egg is carried to the surface of the ovary during the earlier half of a normal 28 days cycle. It is carried there by a cystic structure known as "follicle". This follicle carries out the dual task of not only getting the egg transported but also of manufacturing estrogen. The hormone that stimulates uterine lining growth is known as estrogen. The start of intrauterine helps the implantation of the fertilized egg and the growth of the embryo.

During ovulation, the follicle is the size of an olive. The egg is released when the follicle gets ruptured. The fluid of the follicle which, till then, had been clear, is replaced with blood which accompanies the rupturing process. Progesterone begins to be secreted after this and a substance, which is yellow colored, is formed during this time.

If the woman doesn`t get pregnant at this time, the yellow substance becomes somewhat scarred and the cystic structure thus formed is called "corpus luteum". The structures are generally small in size, but this process, at times, tends to carry on longer than necessary. The physiologic structures get filled with follicular fluid or blood and get enlarged to the size of say, a tiny plum. Such cysts may or may not turn out to be painful. But the primary side-effect that accompanies these cysts is that the menstrual cycle becomes irregular. It is quite a possibility that the cysts will leak or that they will twist the ovary resulting in the patient experiencing pain or severe tenderness. And, if an ultrasound shows that there is an enlarged cyst, there will have to be a surgery carried out.

Pathological Ovarian Cysts

Cystic structures, developed in the ovary, but which are not parts of the ovulation cycle are termed as "pathological ovarian cysts". They are also called "tumors". Such tumors can be basically divided into two categories: those which are malignant or cancerous or those which are benign. There are various kinds of pathological ovarian cysts. There are those which are made up of mucous and those which are made up of old blood.

It is not uncommon to find cysts such as these in women who are young and who happen to bear tissues of a wide array in a disordered manner. Such tissues can be found in fat, teeth, bone, thyroid gland and hair. Pathological cysts have a problem and that is that there is no scope of any regression in these types of structures. The fluid can accumulate at a tremendous rate. And, as fluid forms the principal and really only component of the cyst, it can grow very rapidly. It could enlarge in a couple of weeks or maybe months.

Reasons behind ovarian cysts

If you look at ovarian cysts through ultrasound, you will immediately realize that they resemble bubbles. As we said earlier, fluid forms virtually the only component of a cyst, and it is surrounded by a slim wall. A cyst such as this is known as a "Simple Cyst" or "Functional Cyst". If however, it is the follicle which has failed to rupture and release the egg, the fluid remains and it is likely that it will form a cyst in the ovary. Because of this, one of the two ovaries gets affected. It happens sometimes that tiny cysts may be present in a normal ovary while the follicles are being formed.

Adverse Effects

Women can get affected by ovarian cysts at any age, and doctors have pronounced these cysts to be either physiologic or functional. This basically means that such cysts are not carriers of diseases and most of them are benign that is to say they are not cancerous. Also, many of these disappear by themselves within the space of a few weeks.

Cysts appear in women who are of child bearing age and they fall into the categories of cancerous growths or non-cancerous. It is strange that while ovarian cancer has shown the presence in it of cysts, ovarian cysts themselves represent a normal process or a harmless condition. Ovarian cysts can be of various types and include Corpus Luteum cysts, Dermoid cysts, Follicular cysts, Hemorrhagic cysts and many others.

Holistic Approach

A large number of medicinal methods are being used nowadays to try to cure ovarian cysts but none of these are able to guarantee full success. The only way that a woman can rise above ovarian cysts is through the holistic approach. And it has the added advantage of having no side effects and being wholly trustworthy.

The holistic approach believes in the saying "Forewarned is Forearmed" and tries to eradicate ovarian cysts by its very roots. The holistic approach tries to create fitness on the mental, spiritual as well as the physical level. So it basically persuades you to face ovarian cysts with courage and not to run away from it.

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