Types of ovarian cysts to know about

Cysts on ovaries can be caused by a variety of factors, and there are different types of ovarian cysts, among them you may develop a complex cyst. Although the term “ovarian cyst” can seem frightening, these cysts occur actually quite frequently, especially during menstruation. During your menstrual cycle, it is common for you to develop small, fluid or egg filled cysts in and around the ovaries. As your cycle progresses, these sacs break, releasing eggs into the fallopian tube. They usually are benign, or non-cancerous.

There are two main types of ovarian cysts…

…functional and abnormal. You can distinguish several further types of ovarian cysts, depending on the characteristics and cause.

Functional cysts are the most common type of ovarian cysts, also called simple cysts. Functional cysts are caused mainly by a slight alteration in the normal functioning of the ovary. There are two types of functional cysts: follicular and luteal (corpus luteum cyst), which are named according to the stage of the cycle at which they appear. Follicular cysts appear in the early half; luteal cysts appear in the later half of the menstrual cycle.

Each month the egg-making follicle of your ovary releases an egg. However, in the case of  follicular cysts, the egg is not released and the follicle continues to grow, becoming enlarged and filled with fluid. They are cysts of ovulation. These cysts can cause few if any symptoms and may only be diagnosed when you are seeing your doctor for other reasons. Normally ultrasound is the form of diagnosis.

Luteal cysts develop in the second half of the cycle after the egg has been released (at ovulation). As soon as ovulation has taken place in a normal cycle, the ruptured follicle then develops into the corpus luteum which produces progesterone in anticipation of a pregnancy. If the egg is not fertilised, the corpus luteum withers, progesterone levels fall and a period occurs. Luteal cyst is formed when this follicle does not disappear when it should and gets filled with either blood or fluid. Corpus luteum cysts can become larger than follicular cysts and so may cause pelvic discomfort. Usually corpus luteum cysts go away over two or three menstrual cycles, but occasionally bleeding in the cyst can cause a strong abdominal pain similar to that of an ectopic pregnancy.

Pain or spotting at ovulation (called mittelschmerz; ’mittel’ middle, ‘schmerz’ pain) can be caused by the release of blood from the corpus luteum when there is a slight drop in estrogen at ovulation.

Abnormal cysts are very different from functional cysts because they are the result of abnormal cell growth. This does not, however, mean that they are cancerous. Many cysts are simply benign growths. No one knows for sure what causes this abnormal cell growth. The cysts can remain forever, without causing any problems, or they may burst, requiring emergency surgery.

There are many other types of ovarian cysts…

… a complex cyst is just one of many.

These complex ovarian cysts occur less commonly, but typically have more serious outcomes. A complex cyst has both solid and liquid components. There are three common types of ovarian cysts that are called complex: cystadenoma, dermoid, and endometrial cysts.

Cystadenoma cysts develop from cells on the outer surface of the ovaries. They can grow to a large size and are sometimes attached to the ovary by a stem. The cysts themselves may not cause any remarkable symptoms, but they can twist on their stems and then rupture, which can be extremely painful, and require emergency surgery.

Endometriosis is a condition in which the lining of the womb (endometrium) begins to grow in parts of the body other than the womb. An ”endometrioma”, ”endometrioid cyst”, ”endometrial cyst”, or chocolate cyst of the ovary is a condition related to endometriosis. It is caused by endometriosis, and formed when a tiny patch of endometrial tissue (the mucous membrane that makes up the inner layer of the uterine wall) bleeds, sloughs off, becomes transplanted, and grows and enlarges inside the ovaries. They are usually filled with old, dark blood.

Every month during your period these endometrial patches of tissues that have become encapsulated in a cyst will bleed. Because there is no outlet for the bleeding, the cyst becomes larger. Even small chocolate cysts can rupture, although they may grow very large causing severe pain.

Dermoid cysts (teratomas) are a very bizarre phenomenon, and are classed as tumours rather than simply cysts. Every one of your eggs has the potential to create another human being. They are formed if the germ cells multiply bizarrely without fertilization, forming an encapsulated tumor that contains hair, sebaceous or oil materials, cartilage, bone, neural tissue and teeth. Dermoid cysts are most commonly diagnosed in women between the ages of 20 and 40.

A mature teratoma, otherwise known as a dermoid cyst is a benign type of tumor known to grow in the ovaries. Dermoids are quite common, making up for nearly half of all benign types of ovarian cysts discovered, but are rarely cancerous.

Secondary cancerous growth within a dermoid cyst is a much rarer occurrence, estimated as less than 2% of all such lesions. Adenocarcinomas are the second most common cancerous formations arising within dermoid cysts. A dermoid cyst is normally a non-cancerous tumor of the ovary.

It is difficult to say how many women suffer from polycystic ovaries. Many women experience a large number of small cysts in the ovaries, often accompanied by hormonal imbalance. These types of ovarian cysts are called ‘polycystic’ (polycystic ovary syndrome, PCOS), although technically they are not cysts, but very small egg follicles.

Because women with polycystic ovaries do not menstruate regularly, they are at higher risk for uterine cancer. Some, but not all, affected women have multiple cysts on the ovaries (polycystic ovaries). Other characteristics include the absence of menstruation (amenorrhea) or irregular menstruation, failure of the ovary to release eggs (anovulation), elevated levels of the male hormones known as androgens (hyperandrogenism), excessive amounts of body hair (hirsutism),  and a high rate of miscarriage, and infertility.

To have a complex cyst and know about other types of ovarian cysts usually help you to get a better idea of what you are going through. Often women realize that they are not alone but share an ailment that afflicts many women.