The Occurrence of Ovarian Cysts After Menopause

The ovaries are located on either side of the uterus in a woman's body. During the reproductive years of a woman, the ovaries release an egg each month in a process called ovulation which begins a woman's menstrual cycle. The egg is enclosed in what is known as the follicle within the ovary until the lutenizing hormone sends a signal to the follicle to release the egg. After the egg is released, the follicle then transforms into corpus luteum, which produces hormones in readiness for pregnancy. Whether the follicle fails to rupture or not, it could develop into a cyst known as an ovarian cyst. Most ovarian cysts are functional and harmless, and they eventually drain and disappear without treatment.

Menopause can be defined as the post-productive years of a woman in the context of fertility. It signals the end of the menstrual cycles and it usually occurs as a woman grows older. It happens because at this time in a woman's life, her ovaries stop producing estrogen and this results in the reproduction cycle ceasing.

Ovarian cysts are normally associated with ovulation and the menstrual cycle and therefore with women in their reproductive years. However it is not impossible for the occurrence of ovarian cysts after menopause. Statistics indicate that approximately 17% of post menopausal women will develop ovarian cysts. Most of these are benign, but your doctor will want to do some further testing and keep a close watch on the condition as the presentation of ovarian cysts after menopause increases the probability of ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cysts in menopausal women can present through bloating and pain in the abdomen, back pain or constipation. Because it is better if detected early, menopausal women, as soon as they experience any of these symptoms need to see a gynecologist who will conduct an examination to determine the cause and course of treatment. The cyst will be examined using pelvic ultrasound or sonogram to determine its contents and the size. A blood test will most likely be run also to determine the level of CA-125 (cancer antigen.) Higher levels of CA-125 would indicate malignancy, however some ovarian cancers do not produce enough CA_125 to be picked up by the blood test. For this reason, your doctor will likely want the cyst removed to eliminate every chance of it developing into cancer.

In treating the cyst, if it is small, laparoscopy, which is a surgical procedure whereby a small incision is made in the belly button area of the abdomen and an instrument called a laparoscope is used to take out the cyst will be recommended. However if the cyst is on the large side, a larger incision will be made using the more traditional type of surgery. The doctor may even suggest removing the entire ovary or both ovaries to remove the possibility of the cyst recurring, totally eliminating the chances of ovarian cancer.