Ovarian Cysts and Pregnancy

Ovarian cysts, in most cases, are harmless and pose no major threat to the pregnant woman. They do not hamper a normal pregnancy in any way and vanish on their own, with time. Before discussing further, let's find out what are ovarian cysts.

Ovarian Cysts
Ovarian cysts are the benign cysts with thin walls, containing a harmless fluid. In most cases, these cysts go away on their own. Sometimes, however, the cysts may become very large or painful and might even break or rupture, leading to bleeding. The cysts may also sometimes be cancerous, leading to ovarian cancer, or they may obstruct the blood supply of the ovaries. In such scenarios, proper treatment is required to get rid of them, as they can pose a major threat to the woman.

This condition seldom produces any symptoms. That is why, most of the cases are detected accidentally, during pregnancy-related examinations. However, a woman who has large cysts or has those that have ruptured, may experience symptoms such as stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and fatigue. Thus, doctors, on detecting them, first of all, make sure that these symptoms experienced by the woman are pregnancy-related, and are in no way related to these cysts.

Complex Ovarian Cysts While Pregnant
Complex ovarian cysts i.e overgrown cysts or ruptured cysts can be very dangerous for a pregnant woman's health. Firstly, overgrown cysts i.e up to 8 cm in size, exert immense pressure on the bladder and the bowel of the woman. Secondly, cysts growing on stem, if bent, can cause intense pain. Sometimes, the pain can be so acute that it may lead to a miscarriage or may induce an early labor. Both these conditions can pose a major health problem to the woman as well as her unborn child.

Treatment
The doctors, first of all, make sure that the cysts are benign and are not a threat to the pregnancy. For this, they conduct various tests including ultrasounds, to confirm that there are no cancerous cysts.

Doctors generally prescribe OTC medication, such as painkillers and anesthesia, for pain relief. For ruptured cysts, surgical procedures such as cystectomy, which involve surgical removal of the cysts, is conducted in non-pregnant women. However, a woman with ruptured ovarian cysts during pregnancy, is recommended, not to go in for surgery as it might create some complications afterwards. However, if the cysts become very big i.e more than 8 cm, doctors remove the cysts using procedures such as laparoscopy, and in case of very big cysts, open incisions. Surgery during pregnancy is usually done in the second trimester.

Having chamomile tea can bring relief from the pain arising out of it. Hot compresses on the abdomen and the pelvic area can bring pain relief too. Pregnant women are recommended to include foods rich in vitamin A and vitamin B in their diet, to reduce the pain and discomfort. Pain can also be reduced by eating parsley and tomatoes.

Ovarian cysts during pregnancy, is a harmless condition in about 95% of the cases. However, they can be dangerous too, if the cysts are found to be malignant. In such a case, either or all of surgeries such as oophorectomy, salpingectomy and hysterectomy are usually done, depending upon the growth of the cancer.