Endometrioma

What is ENDOMETRIOMA?

According to MedicineNet.com part of the condition known as endometriosis. Endometrioma is a type of cyst formed when endometrial tissue (the mucous membrane that makes up the inner layer of the uterine wall) grows in the ovaries. It affects women during the reproductive years and may cause chronic pelvic pain associated with menstruation.

According to Wikipedia An endometrioma, endometrioid cyst, endometrial cyst, or chocolate cyst 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.

Endometriosis is the presence of endometrial glands and tissue outside the uterus.

Women with endometriosis may have problems with fertility.

Endometrioid cysts, often filled with dark, reddish-brown blood, may range in size from 0.75-8 inches.

Endometrioma is also referred to as an endometrioid cyst.

These are some of the symptoms:

Some or all of the following symptoms may be present, though it is possible not to experience any symptoms:

• Dull aching, or severe, sudden, and sharp pain or discomfort in the lower abdomen (one or both sides), pelvis, vagina, lower back, or thighs; pain may be constant or intermittent—this is the most common symptom
• Fullness, heaviness, pressure, swelling, or bloating in the abdomen
• Breast tenderness
• Pain during or shortly after beginning or end of menstrual period.
• Irregular periods, or abnormal uterine bleeding or spotting
• Change in frequency or ease of urination (such as inability to fully empty the bladder), or difficulty with bowel movements due to pressure on adjacent pelvic anatomy
• Weight gain
• Nausea or vomiting
• Fatigue
• Infertility
• Increased level of hair growth
• Increased facial hair or body hair
• Headaches
• Strange pains in ribs, which feel muscular
• Bloating
• Strange nodules that feel like bruises under the layer of skin

Treatment

About 95% of ovarian cysts are benign, meaning they are not cancerous.

Treatment depends on the size of the cyst and symptoms.

The pain may be treated with:

• pain relievers, including acetaminophen/paracetamol (Tylenol), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), or narcotic pain medicine (by prescription) may help reduce pelvic pain. NSAIDs usually work best when taken at the first signs of the pain.

• a warm bath, or heating pad, or hot water bottle applied to the lower abdomen near the ovaries can relax tense muscles and relieve cramping, lessen discomfort, and stimulate circulation and healing in the ovaries. Bags of ice covered with towels can be used alternately as cold treatments to increase local circulation.

• combined methods of hormonal contraception such as the combined oral contraceptive pill – the hormones in the pills may regulate the menstrual cycle, prevent the formation of follicles that can turn into cysts, and possibly shrink an existing cyst. (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 1999c; Mayo Clinic, 2002e)

Also, limiting strenuous activity may reduce the risk of cyst rupture or torsion.

Cysts that persist beyond two or three menstrual cycles, or occur in post-menopausal women, may indicate more serious disease and should be investigated through ultrasonography and laparoscopy, especially in cases where family members have had ovarian cancer. Such cysts may require surgical biopsy. Additionally, a blood test may be taken before surgery to check for elevated CA-125, a tumor marker, which is often found in increased levels in ovarian cancer, although it can also be elevated by other conditions resulting in a large number of false positives.

For more serious cases where cysts are large and persisting, doctors may suggest surgery. Some surgeries can be performed to successfully remove the cyst(s) without hurting the ovaries, while others may require removal of one or both ovaries.

When you are being diagnosed to have endometrioma and the doctor advised you for it to be removed, what will you do? Well...the doctor knows best..