Considering ovarian cyst during pregnancy it is necessary to refer to two important questions. The first is what to do with the cyst that is diagnosed during pregnancy. And what are the possible risks. Because it is no less important to be aware of how the disease affects pregnancy.
Ovarian cyst is diagnosed during pregnancy
When there is nothing to do with the expected child
Ovarian cyst during pregnancy is a fairly common situation. But the connection is not necessarily direct. High rate of the cyst diagnosed while waiting for a baby is due to having ignored the disease for a long time. Many women neglect regular observation for years. But when the pregnancy has started they rush to take the ultrasound procedure. If there has been an ovarian cyst it will be revealed during the examination. Thus, the high cyst statistic is not the result of pregnancy itself. In this case it only helps to know there is the developing problem.
After diagnosing an ovarian cyst during pregnancy there arouses the question – what to do with it? Surgical treatment during pregnancy should be carried out only in presence of serious indications. Such indications include the suspicion of a malignant tumor, increasing in size, severe pain, or suspected torsion of the cyst. In other cases the surgery will be done after the childbirth. But the ovarian cyst during pregnancy must be carefully and regularly monitored.
Hormonal changes cause ovarian cyst during pregnancy
The second common reason of the cysts in early pregnancy is associated with the changes in ovary. A corpus luteum is formed each month in the ovary. It produces important hormones during pregnancy. A corpus luteum changes in size during periods, appears and disappears, but it develops differently during pregnancy. The presence of a fairly big formation causes concerns when it is revealed during ultrasound. Especially if the patient didn’t know about being pregnant and thus didn’t tell it to the doctor. It means either a cyst or pregnancy.
Corpus luteum can be easily identified on ultrasound and mistaken with the pathology. That is why it’s better not to rush to operate. During pregnancy corpus luteum also decreases with time. It usually happens after 12-14 weeks of pregnancy, when its role becomes less important. No therapy is needed for a corpus luteum. And it doesn’t affect pregnancy in any unwanted way.
When to remove the cyst — before pregnancy or after the childbirth?
It is widely believed that pregnancy cysts are better not to be removed. The patient needs to wait and in most cases the cyst goes away itself. This is sound advice for a functional ovarian cyst. But in all the other cases it does not work. Some ovarian cysts won’t just disappear. And the woman runs great risks. Not only is she in danger, the baby is also put at risk.
Why is neoplastic ovarian cyst during pregnancy so dangerous? Because it may grow, and that can result in the torsion, cyst rapture or other emergency situations. And these situations are a bigger risk both for the mom and baby than the operation itself. That is why the surgery may be performed to remove an ovarian cyst during pregnancy. After all, it’s all about weighting the risks.
Another reason not to postpone the surgery is the risk to lose the ovary. After the delivery there might be just not possible to remove the cyst. The woman will be so exhausted that her body will not cope with the invasive manipulations. What more, with the arrival of a baby, the mother will have to take care about it. Which means she cannot afford post operation staying in bed required for being completely recovered after the surgery.
When the post-pregnancy operation is possible
Some believe that the surgery is possible to perform after pregnancy. It is, theoretically. In fact, the possibility appears only after a year or two – when the baby care doesn’t take much time and effort. As the baby becomes more independent, it doesn’t need mom that much, and she can undergo the operation and have a proper recovery afterwards. The problem is during these couple of years the damage can become irreversible and too big, thus, the ovary can only be removed.
Therefore, the surgery is better to perform the removal of ovarian cyst during pregnancy. In this case only the tumor will be cut out.
