Ovarian cyst

[BewilderedBee]

Does anybody here have infertility as a result of ovarian cyst? Unclear if this is the cause of mine but on my last ultrasound the nurse at ABC told me my limit was very thing and the cyst could be suppressing my hormones. My CA125 has come back as 14 which is good. Nothings been done via NHS for a long time then ABC insisted on an MRI before going ahead with IVF. The MRI couldn't exclude malignancy so we now have more blood tests tomorrow.

I've made some enquiries with a private gynaecologist and he's advised more blood tests, if the bloods are normal we can either opt for surgery or wait and monitor for 12 months with regular scans. Has anyone else been in this position? We're so disheartened. Feel we've been waiting ages and after making the decision to go private we're still no further ahead. Worried the NHS won't prioritise any surgery if the bloods come back normal! It will cost a fortune private but we've been TTC almost 2 years now. Anyone else in a similar situation? X

How are you getting on @ds12 ? X

Yes I had an endometrial cyst in my ovary. Also didn't know if it was the issue, but they did the "watch and wait" thing for ages and then finally did surgery on it last August. It then takes some time to heal before you can start trying again. Two weeks to recover from the surgery itself, then I think we started clomid 2 months after the surgery when things had calmed down a bit. I would say to get the surgery if you can, but also read up on the risks. Mine went really smoothly, but I was anxious something would go wrong and that they'd need to remove the ovary. Just worth being really clear what the risks are just in case.

Even if the bloods come back ok (which I hope they do for your health of course) then I think they can do the surgery on the NHS if it is over a certain size (I'm so sorry I can't remember how big it has to be. Maybe 2cm or 4cm?).

With mine, the fertility doc pushed it through in the end because of the fertility. She said that it was enough of a reason because waiting a year would impact the fertility. So maybe your fertility doc can help push it through?

Just make sure you're aware of the risks on both sides. With me they were hoping the body would just get rid of the cyst naturally, which would have been the best outcome, but unfortunately it was a stubborn one.

I hope it goes okay. I remember it as a really stressful time trying to make the right decision. Good luck xxx

Thank you so much @Sylva123 ! My bloods came back normal and we're going to move on with a private consultation now as who knows when we'll see NHS consultant now. I'm going to ask what the options are now with surgery, would NHS recommend surgery because of the infertility aspect. I'm 32 and AMH was 18, although if for any reason they end up having to remove the ovary my AMH would be so much lower so I don't really want to do the watch and wait for much longer. We are contemplating private surgery but obviously would prefer NHS due to cost. Our private consultant does NHS work with our fertility clinic so hopefully we can get all the answers we need. Who knows when routine surgery will begin again though... given covid. Thanks so much for getting back to me, it's so helpful to hear from others who have been in the same situation. Xx

I had a really good NHS fertility Dr (she wasn't the consultant, but she did all of the initial appts and scans). She is the one that said the surgery should be pushed through from a fertility perspective and put all the forms in etc. For some people it is ok to watch and wait and the body does get rid of the cyst itself, but mine was a stubborn one that just kept growing.
They might want to see over a couple of months if it grows and also what type it is (blood filled, more solid etc). When they remove it they have the option of sort of "burning" it off the wall of the ovary and that stops it growing back (probably wrong terminology), but it can also run the risk of damaging the ovary wall. So with mine they removed it without doing that bit to be as safe as possible for fertility - it runs the risk of growing back which will be really annoying as I guess I'd have to do surgery again, but the hope was that I'd get pregnant before that happens. Mine was a blood filled one so I think it's different depending on what type.
I'd say just research lots so you're clued up and then talk it through with the private consultant as they'll know exactly what sort of cyst it is and whether leaving it or having surgery is the best option for your fertility. Sadly I'm still not pregnant but IVF is my next step. Hope yours sorts it's self out!

Hi, @BewilderedBee, so I have a laprascopic cyctectomy scheduled in about 3 weeks time to remove the dermoid cysts in my right ovary (there are 2 cysts, totalling about 8 cm together). I am doing the surgery privately. I previously thought i wasn't ovulating but during the pre-operation ultrasound they seemed pretty sure that i actually am ovulating The surgeon told my that although my cycts (dermoid) are not officially linked with infertility, he has seen in the past that it can affect it somewhat. It seems that it is a sort of gray area, no one really knows for sure if it actually affects fertility. I think i am going to wait a few months after my surgery to begin any sort of treatment, I'll keep you updated what happens.