Bilateral Ovarian Cysts
What is Bilateral Ovarian Cysts?
Developing bilateral ovarian cysts can be very painful. Ovaries are part of a woman’s reproduction system and they are bilateral which means that there is one on each side of the uterus. Women sometimes develop cysts on either one or both ovaries. There are different kinds of bilateral cysts just as there are with the singular cysts. These bilateral ovarian cysts can cause a woman many complications.
There are the choroid plexus cysts which are non-malignant and these can be a normal part of pregnancy which go away by themselves. Only one percent of women get these growths and they have been connected with women who have genetic problems such as trisomy 18 and trisomy 21. These are usually a red flag for other chromosome problems. If these cysts occur with other indications, amniocentesis is usually prescribed by the doctor. The cysts themselves usually disappear without treatment by the 23rd week.
Another type of bilateral ovarian cyst that can develop is the dermoid cysts. These are a little disturbing because they contain bone, hair and cartilage. The cause of any of these cysts is unknown at present. The only known difference between the singular cysts and these is that these bilateral ovarian cysts develop on both ovaries. The condition known as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome means that there are multiple cysts on both ovaries and can interfere with a woman’s menstrual cycle and ability to bear children. This condition can also cause problems with the hormone production and cardiovascular system in women as well.
Even though most cysts are benign and do not require surgery, there are some types which endanger reproduction capability and the bilateral ovarian cysts does massive damage to the ovaries as well. Theca lutein cysts can cause massive ovarian enlargement and are usually bilateral. This type of ovarian cysts is caused by luteinization and hypertrophy of the internal cell layer as a response to excessive stimulation of an unknown type of gonadotropin (a group of hormones secreted by the pituitary gland). These types of can occur with gestational trophoblastic disease (pregnancy related tumors). They are also seen with multiple pregnancies and are associated with maternal androgen excess for about thirty percent of the cases. These usually disappear when the gonadotropin levels drop.
Most of these ovarian cysts are non-malignant and are really very common. Although more common in younger women, these can also form before and after menopause. Most cases have a very low rate of turning into cancer.
Having regular blood tests can determine if the protein detected in ovarian cancer is present. By saying that, you need to know that this test is not really reliable for cancer but can show positive for ovarian cysts as well as other illnesses. Depending on how large the cysts are, their appearance on an ultrasound scan, and whether they change in shape and size over time can be an indication to the doctor to run other tests.
The majorities of most singular and bilateral ovarian cysts disappear within a few months by themselves but do usually reoccur. There shouldn’t be any concern though since these pose no danger or threat.
