Pain is experienced before, during and completion of the menstrual period in case of both, the simple ovarian cyst and the complex ovarian cyst. A functional ovarian cyst will be more severe as it responds to the increasing concentration of the hormones present during the menstrual cycle of a woman. Endometrioma is another type of cyst that causes pain during the menstruation period.
The creation of an endometrioma is also called as endometriod or chocolate cyst. It is similar to the endometriosis condition. This is a consequence of the tissues growing outside the uterus in the peritoneal cavity instead of growing inside. The abdomen and the pelvic organ’s surfaces are where the uterine tissues tend to grow. Endometrioma is when the tissues of uterine grow on the surface of the ovary.
The percentage of positive endometriosis is approximately around 10 percent and the percentage of pelvic endometriosis that is found on one or both the ovaries in a woman’s body is close to 80 percent. The endometrial tissues have the trait to latch on to any or all the organs in the peritoneal cavity. The endometriomas can block most or whole of the ovary causing fertility complications and are as large as 4 inches in radius due to the filing of blood.
Endometrioma for some women can come without any symptoms. For some, the pain will be huge and excruciating. One can experience menstrual cramps, pain while having sexual intercourse and also during the movement of the bowels. The complications arising from this disease are rare. Internal bleeding may be caused if the contents of a ruptured endometrial cyst of a good size spill into the pelvic cavity. The other pelvic organs in the vicinity can also be at risk if the contents reach their surfaces too. The organs that are located nearby are: the intestines, the fallopian tubes, the bladder and the uterus. Scars or adhesions may be formed due to them, leading to infertility problems.
The diagnosis of endometrioma and the other cysts are the same. Manual pelvic examination is performed after giving due consideration to the past medical records of the patient. There is a possibility of going in for other sophisticated tests like the ultrasonic and the CT. Blood and urine samples can also be tested for pregnancy and malignancy. The test for malignancy is confirmed with the presence of CA 125 antigen in the blood sample. There may also be a possibility of endometriosis or a pelvic inflammatory disease.
There are options which are non surgical in nature and can be used to treat endometriosis and the endometriomas initially. Non- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can be prescribed by the doctors. The ovulation from the ovaries is stopped by inducing an anovulatory state. This state is generally achieved through the use of contraceptive measures. Medroprogesterone, Danazol or Gestrinone can be prescribed by the medics if the combination of NSAIDs and oral contraceptives do not work. These are some of the progestational agents. A dosage of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist may also be prescribed. To protect the patient from menopause, the GnRH can be combined with hormones such as progesterone and estrogen. On the whole, the best kind of treatment to be given solely depends upon the jurisdiction of the doctor attending to the patient.
A woman is affected by endometrimas usually when she is bearing a child. Help from the doctors should be taken and the medicines can help reduce the pain and also help decrease the occurrence of infertility. Surgery is the only option left if the medications do not have any effect or the problem is not solved by their consumption. Some doctors prefer to go in for surgery to avoid the risk of the ovarian cyst increasing in size thereby causing complications.
The surgery can be done using laparoscopy or the open surgery. The former is a simpler process and is less painful compared to the latter. Furthermore, the former takes time duration of 2-3 days to heal whereas the latter can take as much as 7-10 days. The open surgery is preferred only in case of large size or high complexity cases. Discussion with the doctor regarding the procedure to be followed is a must. It is important as the wrong step could bar the woman from becoming a mother.