Dermoid ovarian cyst?

[Savanmoon]

I had an ultrasound scan this weekend privately due to having had lots of pains and irregular periods for the past 18 months or so and was diagnosed with a dermoid cyst on my right ovary, with a follow up scan recommended in four to six weeks and a GP appointment to discuss.

Does anyone have any experience with this type of cyst on an ovary? Google seems to be throwing up all sorts of answers from removal to management with contraception but it’s playing on my mind a lot. It’s around 1.3 by 1.2cm in size so not particularly large.

I've had four dermoids in the last year, three were removed from my right ovary in January and the one on the left hopefully later this year. I was told they will only remove them once they reach 4-5cm so you'll probably just have regular scans to keep an eye on it for now. If they are causing you problems though you will need to be a stubborn pain in the arse (like me!) to get anything done, as ovarian cysts tend to get ignored and left for far too long.

I have a 5cm one that's being left in at the moment & checked again in a few months to monitor how fast its growing. Its not causing much of a problem at the moment & I'd rather not have surgery so it can stay there! It's unlikely the size of the cyst you have is causing your issues - have they looked into anything else? They'll probably want to keep a close eye on it for a while :)

Thanks for the replies, it’s interesting the consensus is 5cm is the size when they’ll want to do something about it. Everything else on my ultrasound looked normal apart from a slightly over average endometrial thickness for my age and I’ve had severe pains on the side of the affected ovary for a long time. I’m still not entirely sure why I need another scan so soon if it’s still very small but hey ho.

Maybe it's because the symptoms are more than you'd expect for the size of the cyst?

I had a NC fail I guess you’re probably correct pinky, appointment is tomorrow so fingers crossed they listen to me if I push for some other testing too.

The important thing is who exactly did the scan? Some private scans are done by sonographers who are not necessarily experienced beyond scanning and maybe scan maybe pregnant women . (just to contrast my own experience where my private scans are done by a consultant radiologist who has 40 yrs experience.) Apologies if this is not the case.

Dermoid cysts are not simple cysts- they contain a lot of stuff. You really need a gynae to advise you and your GP ought to refer you to one. Dermoids may grow more quickly than simple fluid filled cysts. The 5cms rule applies mainly to simple cysts.

You need to see a specialist.

you mentioned your age and endometrial thickness- how old are you?

Thanks Queen, I was scanned by someone who is highly qualified and lectures in radiography so I assumed would be one of the best. I’m 29 and have had one child and no more.

Sounds okay! Some women go to baby scanning companies and I'm not convinced the people doing the scans are the best; sure, they can read the basics but you need very experienced doctors to really make sense of the detail.