The “O” Problem Impacting Millions
I’ve been a balloon for the past 2 weeks.
I monitor my cycle regularly. I use OPK strips to track my ovulation patterns. I know that I typically ovulate early compared to the usual half way mark for other women in their cycle. But the past two weeks have been anything but normal.
It started out as cramping on my left side - a predominantly trouble spot for me. It’s where the majority of my endo was found during my first surgery and scar tissue during my second surgery. It’s where I typically feel pain mid cycle, but this pain was unlike any other. The pain moved progressively towards my belly button give or take a couple of inches to the left. As any other woman going through her infertility journey, symptom spotting on online forums was the first course of action.
The pain got worse. My clock-work period was late. The pin like cramping moved towards an extreme dull pain that became more intense at night. I have a high threshold for pain, but this became unbearable at times.
What if something is really wrong?
I contacted my medical team. They sent me in for bloodwork - a standard HCG pregnancy test and progesterone test. After emotional highs and lows of guessing, the results came back.
Pregnancy negative. Progesterone elevated at 4.5.
Periods usually start when your progesterone hits zero. The bloating got worse. My abdomen started looking puffy. I reached back out to my medical team with a request for a urinalysis. I’ve been eternally scarred with false UTI symptoms for years. This in itself was something I went through repeatedly before I was properly diagnosed with endo. Because of this these experiences, it’s constantly top of mind as a “just in case” to check for.
Urine test negative.
“It’s okay to keep yourself comfortable with Ibuprofen and Tylenol. You might be uncomfortable for a few more days, and through your period, but hopefully it will improve in the next week or so.”
It’s likely a cyst causing irritation.
I’ve had cysts before. During each of my surgeries, cysts have been removed as an added perk of the procedure. I’ve talked about ovarian cysts with other women and I seem to get the same responses, the same stories.
“Yes, they happen. Yes, they suck - but there’s nothing you can really do.”
Your ovaries grow follicles each month which produces progesterone and estrogen. This signals your body to release an egg. If the follicle keeps growing, it can fill with fluid and burst.
Is it an emergency?
Not typically. Since I have scar tissue from endo, my body isn’t able to absorb fluid within the 24 hour window that doctors expect. Although the symptoms are starting to subside, and I’m feeling less like a marshmallow, my abdomen is still swollen. I haven’t anxiously anticipated the start of my period like this in years.
Here’s the problem.
When you google “Do ovarian cysts impact fertility?” you’ll likely get the Google response that they do not. I did a bit more digging online and found that specific kinds of ovarian cysts actually do impact fertility.
Endometriomas and ovarian cysts due to PCOS are the two types that may actually inhibit your chances of conceiving. If you link the keywords “ovarian cyst + IUI + IVF” in your online search, you’ll find that ovarian cysts cause a serious problem to conception. Your IUI or IVF round could either be delayed and/or cancelled after finding a significant ovarian cysts during a scan. Ovarian cysts can:
Cause severe pain during intercourse,
Cause extreme discomfort ultimately affecting your eating and sleeping pattern,
Impact your cycle making it incredibly difficult to track your fertility,
Impact your mental health as you question your symptoms, and whether you’re being a crazy, overreactive patient.
I admittedly thought endo was behind me after none was found during my second surgery. I was never diagnosed with PCOS (nor do I believe I qualify based on a high-level read of its symptoms). I am shocked by the stats. I am even more surprised in the lack of solutions.
Three million women each year are diagnosed with ovarian cysts.
You find extreme stories online including Katie’s, a woman who had a 10 cm benign tumor on her left ovary. I looked at her pictures and started to check the symptom boxes that I’ve been feeling since ovulation. I found comfort in knowing but dismayed in not finding any real solutions to prevent ovarian cysts from happening in the future.
Birth control is typically the first recommendation. If you’re trying to conceive, this is obviously out of the question. Other studies report that diet plays a role in regulating your testosterone in women with PCOS. If you haven’t had your hormones checked, this should be step #1. Being able to understand your hormones will help empower you (and your doctor) to take the right course of action.
If you are like me and your hormone report card came back with flying colors, I haven’t been able to find a recommended plan to avoid ovarian cysts in the future other than the typical “common sense” items:
Maintain a health weight.
Eat a healthy diet.
Exercise regularly.
Don’t smoke or drink excessively.
Limit excessive hormone therapy.
Manage stress.
Get enough sleep.
Pace Hospital provides an excellent resource with comparisons to UTIs and PCOS.
So if you are one of the 3 million women out there going through an ovarian cyst this year, know that you are not alone. If you fee like something “feels terribly wrong,” trust your body. Trust your intuition.
Being in tune with your body is the most important on your fertility journey.
Sunny side bump,
Olivia
