10cm Endometroid/Dermoid cyst and concerned about fertility

[Finch82]

Right, let me quickly get everything down:

I'm almost 34, no children, in a relationship and would like to try for children in the near future.

Mid-March spent a night in agony with abdominal pain on my lower RH side. Was staying with dad who has cancer and didn't want to worry him so I waited to see if it got worse. Next morning, pain still there so I drove to my GP surgery. Got seen straight away. She suspected appendicitis but my temperature was okay so she said to wait it out and if it got worse to go to A&E. It did subside but I made appointment to see GP to discuss it (it brought a recollection of another night of had similar pain in the last 6months).

GP referred me for an ultrasound. It took about 4/5 weeks to have ultrasound and another week before I got a letter from surgery to ring to make a "routine telephone appointment". This took another 2 weeks. Friends and family said it would probably be nothing as they wouldnt tell you anything serious over the phone.

Had the phone conversation last Thursday and it caught me off guard. I have a cyst on right ovary which is 10cm in diameter and either endometriod or dermoid and that she would refer me to a gynaecologist. This appointment is not for another 3 weeks.

Feeling very concerned about my fertility. Could the pain have been a torsion. Have I lost that ovary? I keep thinking I'm feeling niggley pain on my left ovary now. What if the cyst is growing bigger or there's another one growing on the other side? I'm on the progesterone only pill. I read on the internet that the mini pill has been linked to endometriomas. At the consultation where I was referred for the scan I also asked for more pills. I was on Cerazette but she gave me a prescription for one similar that's much cheaper. I've been taking it since then and have just had a 2 week period. Have stopped taking it from yesterday. Do you think this is the right thing to do?

I was hoping that the forum could help me out with your own experiences:

Has anyone else had a cyst like this? Did you have surgery? Laparoscopy or Laparotomy? How long did you have to wait? Has it affected you fertility? Has it complicated later pregnancies or births? What was the recovery like? Any advice on questions I should ask or things I should do?

Thanks for your time and for reading and caring

Helen

endo cysts in one of my ovary in early 20's. lost one ovary as it was that bad (laparascopy) but had children in my 30. no problems conceiving (I still had one ovary and that is enough). appreciate that it is not always that easy but losing ovary doesn't equal always infertility/problems conceiving.

had laparascopy. was out of hospital quickly and up and back to work after 10 days.

Thank so much for this, whatamess. Very pleased for you that you have had children. I'm glad to hear You had a laparoscopy too. I think I'm worrying about how they would take out a 10cm cyst using keyhole but maybe it would need to be lots bigger to need a laprotomy.

Hope I don't have to wait too long for surgery. Don't want the thing growing any bigger!

mine were about 7-8cm in diameter but the laparascopy incisions were tiny (about 1cm) so they surely don't take them out as a whole but never asked them how.

I have a 5cm dermoid cyst on right hand side - found after second visit to A&E in agony.

I'm 38, waiting to see gynae but GP asked if we were planning anymore children (have one DS) I was non-committal but she said there shouldn't be any problem with us ttc if we want to after it's been removed, though obviously my age could start to be an issue if they don't hurry up!!

I don't think the pain means you've lost an ovary, if the twisting was that severe you'd have needed emergency surgery. Sometimes they can partially twist than go back - I think that's what happened to me twice.

Thank you very much for these responses. Sorry whatamess, I didn't see you newest post until now.

I rang my GP surgery yesterday and they got the duty doctor to call me. She put my mind at rest a bit (I've been having abdominal pain and I've been bleeding for 21 days!)

Waiting is horrible. 2 1/2 weeks before I see the gynaecologist. Hope you are right about the twisting mirime. I'm wondering how long I'll have to wait from seeing the gynae to having surgery. I hope it's not ages. I think it's growing

Waiting is hard. Hand holding with my swollen pelvis.

I had two large cysts removed from one ovary (8cm and 6cm, I think), the large one was endometrial and the smaller one was fluid filled. They were able to save the ovary though so I still have both!

I was under the impression that progesterone (like in the mini-pill) was supposed to slow endometriosis growth, but I could be wrong.

Oh my goodness! Thanks Button Loon-that is very encouraging. Maybe I won't lose the ovary.

I read that progesterone only pill can cause endo cysts and ovarian cysts was down as a rare side effect on the pill literature when I looked. Duty doc said it wouldn't make much difference to be on it or not now and it wouldn't help either way with diagnosis so to stay on it if I was going to need to find another contraceptive. I've stopped taking it anyway. Sorry if this is TMI but my periods on this pill have started off brown like it's the kind of old blood you'd normally get at the end of a period-where's it all been going?

My periods were sometimes like that on the POP - when I actually had one which was rare. Presumably to do with the hormones effecting the womb lining?

I was on cerazette and it did not suit me at all!

Unfortunately, I think I've grown something back again. Scan next month. Hey ho. :P

I was on Cerazette. I still had monthly periods. Whenever I went for a pill check and I told them that they always looked really surprised.

Good luck with your scan ButtonLoon!