Birth Control Pills and Ovarian Cysts

The reproductive age woman category, now that's theorgans. But if the doctor sees a six-centimeter cyst, he
ones -if she's trying to get pregnant, then obviouslyis going to operate anyway, so most of the time that
she's not on any kind of birth control and most likelywould be a procedure that would not have a purpose.
they're functional. What do you do? Well you canShe needs a laparotomy to make sure that this
watch them month to month, and if they resolve, whichparticular ovary cyst isn't one of the other cysts, of
most of them will, the problem is gone. If such a cystcourse the endometriomas, the sustatnomas, the
grows or causes more problems, then she should alsodermoid cysts, the polycystic ovaries, which usually
have a laparotomy. Now, if that woman - well, thearen't going to show up as large cysts.
other way is of course, many of these women you'dAnd of course, the last category is the rarer cystic
say listen, what we need to do is put you on a shorttumor that would be cancerous. So, the management
course of birth control pills to see if the cysts stopbasically is one of just, in most women is, in the
forming.reproductive age group is going to be wait and see.
Birth control pills, the way they work, is they, they workYou know, reassurance, come back in a month. You
on the complex mechanism that regulates ovulation,can take, if the cyst goes away, great, if it doesn't or if
interrupting all those pathways that I briefly describedit slowly resolves fine, if it doesn't go away, you can
earlier and that complex pathway interrupted, no moreoffer a course of birth control pills. If that's not
ovulation occurs, no more functional cysts occur. Andacceptable or not possible, then the last way is to of
the cyst that was there will most likely resolvecourse to actually take a look through an incision, a
because of less feedback from the other hormoneslaparotomy.
so birth control pills in a way you could say could cureAnd that I think that pretty much sums up the actual
cysts. But these are the cysts-treatment of cysts, at least as far as a diagnostic
That may not always be an option for some womenprogram. There are other treatments of cysts, and I
that have problems with birth control pills or other sidewill mention these each by the category. So we got a
effects.functional cyst that are self-resolving or you're going to
For those women, those group of women who cannotuse birth control pills. We've got the endometriomas
take birth control pills. If for whatever reason, andwhich begin the endometriosis on the ovary. This is a
there's a litany we won't get into here of women whocase that needs to be treated with various
cannot take the pill for one reason or the other, then itmedications. There are medications to suppress
would be expected management, that's basically justovulations, stop the period which burns up in the
watching and seeing, cause most of these will goendometriosis and it's generally about 90% effective,
away within three menstrual cycles. If they do not,and also causes fertility when you get these to go
then, then most likely she's going to have a laparotomy.away. So the chocolate cysts once they are, they're
Obstetrician Gynecologist, Christopher Freville,usually removed at laparotomy, you can also cauterize
recommends you could also do a laparoscopy. Athem, that's zapping them with electricity. Again, the
laparoscopy again is a very common term, this ispatient is asleep because the endometriomas and
where a telescope like tube with a light on it is put in,endometriosis are usually multiple places in the pelvis,
the doctor is able to look through an incision in theand then follow up with medications to suppress
naval, while of course I might add the patient is asleepovulation.
and fully anesthetized, is able to look at the pelvic