mass on left ovary

Hi, this is my first post. I'm hoping there's someone out there with a similar experience that can ease my mind? On April 19 I had a transvaginal ultrasound because I was experiencing swelling in my legs and stomach, back pain, gas and I had to start waking up at night to urinate. The results of the ultrasound was an 8cm mass on my left ovary. There are solid areas and low density echos within the mass. I have since had 2 additional transvaginal and one abdominal ultrasound. The results have been the same the mass isn't growing or shrinking. On 5/31 I will have another transvaginal ultrasound. If the mass is still the same my doctor wants to schedule a laparotomy. I'm 32 with no history of ovarian cancer in the family. However I did have thyroid cancer back in 2002. Seems to me this process is taking too long. I'm more uncomfortable daily and have gone up 2-3 full pant sizes. Can anyone tell me of a similar set of circumstances and how things turned out?
Thanks in advance...

Hi dessert1st...

I guess I have kind of a similar situation.

I have 'complained' (dr's favorite term) of feeling like there was something in my tummy for about four years. Two different docs told me it was just 'post-menopausal' weight gain, even though I felt something hard when I would lie on my back and press on it.

A month or so ago, I rolled over on the floor one night playing with my dog, and it felt like I had half a cantelope in my tummy. I went to my gyno again - he felt it and immediately said '17 week fibroid,' ordered an ultrasound (abdominal and trans-vaginal both) and it turned out to be a 10x13cm 'fluid filled cyst' on the right ovary.

They then ordered a CAT scan...I'm not really sure if that told them much more or not, I just know it cost me a fortune...and my new Dr. says that ultrasounds are much more reliable for cysts. I too went up 2-3 waist sizes, had major gas, started having digestive problems, decreased bladder capacity, etc., which I now figure was due to the cyst growing and moving other 'important parts' out of the way.

My Dr. did four different 'cancer tumor marker' blood tests, including a CA-125, which all came back with such low numbers, they do not believe the thing is cancerous. The ultrasound showed mine to be 'fluid' filled with *some* soild 'debris' inside. The CA-125 is not a foolproof diagnosis - don't get upset if it goes either high or low - but you should ask your Dr. for tests of this sort if he suspects a malignancy, or even if he doesn't.

My advice to you would be ask, ask, ask questions - ask what 'kind' of cyst you have (mine is called 'mucinous') then come back here and ask other HS if they've had the same thing, and get online and look for as much info as you can on the medical sites. I've learned one thing - all types of ovarian cysts are different with their own inherent risks - and you need to know what you have. Get copies of all of your ultrasound reports so you have them for your own info and to take to other Docs if you opt for a second and third opinion, which you should, whether surgery is suggested or not.

My original Dr. wanted to do a TAH for this monster...I did my research and asked dozens of friends for a referral to another gyn...now I'm just having the ovary and cyst removed.

By the way, my little beauty tends to swell up toward the end of the day or if I'm on my feet too much. I asked my Dr. about this and he said it was 'typical' of fluid-filled cysts, combined with the IBS etc. which the cyst is causing.

Hate to say it, but I've learned through this ordeal that your health care and well-being really is up to *you* and the more informed you are, the better off you are. I'd just ask a ton of questions and then go running to another Dr. and see if he agrees with the first one.

Good luck! Feel free to PM me if you have questions or think our situations are similar. I'm six-weeks into the 'research' and I don't see a lot of posts on here for women who have just ovarian cysts...we need to stick together!

Hugs,
Jordan L

P.S. Went to chiropractor for three years for the 'lower back pain.' Guess that wasn't what it was - Been There, Done That!

Dear dessert1st,

I'm so sorry you have to go through this. I know it is very scary, but it's not always bad news. I had an unusual bleeding episode that landed me at the OB/GYN. I had an internal ultrasound (I'm not sure if this is the same thing as transvaginal?) and a mass was discovered on one ovary. I don't remember the size, because this happened several years and surgeries ago. The DR repeated the ultrasounds the next two months, and the mass hadn't changed. The next step was laparoscopy to determine if the mass was cancer. It turned out to be some type of cyst that just didn't want to go away, so my DR helped it say goodbye to my ovary. I don't think I've ever been so relieved in my life to find out that I didn't have ovarian cancer. I hope it helps you a little to hear a story with a positive outcome. I'll be praying for the same for you!

s MB

I also had a large cyst. My Dr. thought it was a fibroid, but ultrasound said that it was a complex cyst. It measured 8.5cm x 4.5cm x 2.5cm. My Dr. put me on birth control pills to see if it would shrink, since he still thought it was a fibroid, even after the ultrasound. It did not work and I started hurting all the time. In my pathology report, this cyst was 11.5cm x 6.5cm x 2.5cm and was endometrial tissue. It had pushed all my vital organs to the right (cyst was on the left), and had adhered to my abdominal wall, left ovary and to my bowel.

I had a total hysterectomy and now I feel like a new person. Am so glad that mine was not cancer, ovarian cancer runs in the family.

Cindy