The occurrence of an ovarian cyst even after the menopause is possible. Menopause is when the estrogen hormone is no more produced by the ovaries and slowly the reproductive system of the woman’s body shuts down thereby taking away the possibility of getting pregnant. A benign ovarian cyst that may occur after the menopause will not be severe as the hormones are no longer produced.
Since the probability of the ovarian cyst being malignant increases with age, in women who have forgone the age of menopause, approximately 60 percent cases are those of a cancerous cyst (specially for women above the age of 80). Of the total group of women with ovarian cysts, 90 percent have a cyst that is benign or malignant. The rest 10 percent are functional due to the menopause not completely settling down.
An ovarian cyst that develops after menopause has set in does not vanish like those seen in the pre-menopause state. The cyst needs to be monitored for months altogether before a decision pertaining to it can be taken by the doctors. The best way to treat the women suffering from this problem at younger ages is to induce hormones into the body in order to resolve the ovarian cyst on its own. However, for aged women, this is not possible and the doctors don’t relate the disease to a malfunctioning menstrual cycle. Any further treatment that needs to be done in this regard needs to be discussed with the doctors present in the hospital.
It is best advised to visit the doctor if a woman finds symptoms relating to an ovarian cyst. The determination of the cyst in terms of its size, location and composition is necessary. The check is carried out by the use of sophisticated technologies like ultrasound which is both non painful and non invasive. A complex ovarian cyst will contain both the fluids and the solid particles whereas a simple one will contain only fluids. Blood test is likely as it determines the extent to which the cyst can cause cancer. Surgery is recommended in accordance to the age, the level of pain and the past records of the patient.
The recommendation of removing the ovaries doesn’t necessarily mean that the samples have predicted a malignant tissue. This can be done as the probability of the cyst becoming cancerous is very high. Women who are aged between 50-70 years run a very high risk of developing cancer in case they encounter an ovarian cyst. Early detection of the ovarian cyst can greatly increase the chances of survival.
The laparoscopic surgery is best suited for removal of the ovarian cyst, if the doctor wishes to do so. This method of surgery is easy to conduct since it is a minor surgery and has a good recovery time. It is possible that for women who have already experienced menopause, the doctor may choose to remove the ovaries along with the ovarian cyst irrespective of it being malignant or not. If the complexity is high, then there is a possibility of the doctor choosing to undergo the open surgery that is the more traditional way.
By getting these organs removed, the woman can be safe from encountering any further ovarian cysts and hence avoid the occurrence of cancer. The ovarian cysts are hard to discover and are life threatening. Hence, it is best suited to do away with the organs that are anyways of no use anymore and be safe. A majority of the women feel that the removal of the ovaries along with the cysts has done them some good. Any further advice, if necessary should be taken from the doctors.