A Woman’s Guide to Understanding Enlarged Ovaries
One of the scariest things you can hear during a gynecology checkup is that you have enlarged ovaries. Hearing this can elicit many disturbing images and cause great deals of anxiety in a woman. If you’ve recently been told that you have enlarged ovaries or would like to learn about this problem, read further for more information regarding symptoms, causes, and treatments.
Possible Symptoms
Enlarged ovaries can manifest themselves in many different ways. Moderate to extreme abdominal pain or back is a common symptom in many women, although this pain will often go away and return later. Pain during sex is also a frequent complaint.
Aside from pain, enlarged ovaries can also affect your menstruation cycle. You may bleed for extended periods of time (20 days or longer in some cases) and the breaks in between may be irregular as well. For many women, this is the biggest hardship for them to go through, as it can negatively affect their intimate relationships and can lead to embarrassing surprises.
Thankfully, aside from the unpleasant symptoms, enlarged ovaries are rarely a problem in and of themselves. You can still conceive children, it does not necessarily require surgery to remove the ovary, and in many cases the enlargement goes away on its own. The downside to this is that the ovaries may be a symptom of a much larger problem.
Ovarian Cysts
The most common causes of an enlarged ovary include ovarian cysts, polycystic ovary syndrome, and even ovarian cancer. Cysts are sacs that are filled with fluid. They may grow on the inside or the outside of your ovaries. Thankfully, these cysts are normally not harmful and will often times go away on their own within 1 – 3 months. In addition to this, taking birth control pills can actually help reduce the risk of developing any new cysts and assisting with regulating your cycle.
Other signs of ovarian cysts include nausea, breast tenderness, and frequent urination, although this usually only happens with very large cysts or with cysts that have ruptured. Speak to your gynecologist if you think you may have cysts. They will run some tests on you and determine the severity and need of any follow up care. In some cases your doctor may find it necessary to surgically remove the cyst if it is large enough. In rare cases they may even need to remove your entire ovary. Conception is still possible with only one ovary.
PCOS
Like the name implies, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, or PCOS, is a condition in women that can cause many small cysts to form in or on ovarian tissues. Aside from affecting your cycle, it can also increase your level of male hormones, resulting in excess hair or balding, acne, and unfortunately infertility in some cases. PCOS can also increase the chances for obesity, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, cholesterol issues, and even endometrial cancer.
This can be a very daunting prospect to many women, but treatments are readily available, and fall mainly in the lap of the woman suffering from PCOS. If it is determined that you have this condition, you will need to have regular checkups with your doctor to monitor your blood pressure, weight, and cholesterol levels.
You will also need to eat a healthy diet and get plenty of exercise. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle will help reduce risks affiliated with this condition. Low dose birth control pills will also be prescribed to help curb the amount of male hormones in your system and to assist in regulating your cycle.
Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian cancer is another possible cause of enlarged ovaries, particularly in menopausal women, since the ovaries should actually be shrinking. Ovarian cancer is a silent killer, so the patient will likely not experience any side effects other than an enlarged or even misshapen ovary. Your gynecologist will be able to spot this during a routine pelvic exam.
If your doctor suspects that you may have ovarian cancer, they can diagnose you with an ultrasound or even certain blood tests. If the cancer is spotted early enough, it is likely that the malignant cysts and tissues will be removed surgically. If the cancer has spread to other areas of your body by the point of diagnosis, radiation treatment and chemotherapy may be required. It should be noted that ovarian cancer has a high rate of survivability.
Be sure to consult your gynecologist if you have any questions regarding these conditions.