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How to manage endometriosis and endometriotic ovarian cyst

Endometriosis causes chocolate cysts. Endometrial tissue lines the uterus, and endometriosis causes this tissue to grow outside the uterus as well.

Endometrial tissue can attach to the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and nearby organs, such as the bladder. This can cause painful, heavy periods, and it can also damage the organs that it affects.

Doctors divide endometriosis into stages, according to how far the endometrial tissue has spread to other areas of the body. Stages 3 and 4 are the most severe, and they are the most likely to cause endometriomas.
If a person with endometriosis does not receive treatment, it can grow more severe, and chocolate cysts may develop.

Chocolate cysts are sacs containing old blood. They attach to the ovaries and can affect ovarian function. In some cases, chocolate cysts can stop the ovaries from working and so prevent pregnancy.

Doctors do not know what causes endometriosis. Most research suggests that estrogen plays a key role,researchers are unsure why the hormone causes the condition in some people and not others.

Risk factors for endometriosis and chocolate cysts can include:

• Genetics: People with a family history of endometriosis are more likely to get the condition.
• Retrograde menstrual flow: This happens when period blood travels in the reverse direction, going up the fallopian tubes instead of out of the vagina.
• Immune disorders: Certain immune system issues, especially autoimmune disorders, may cause endometriosis.
• Injuries: Damage to the uterus or surrounding structures correlate with an increased risk of endometriosis. These injuries can occur, for example, during cesarean delivery.

Chocolate cysts are noncancerous, fluid-filled cysts that typically form deep within the ovaries. They get their name from their brown, tar-like appearance, looking something like melted chocolate. They’re also called ovarian endometriomas.

The color comes from old menstrual blood and tissue that fills the cavity of the cyst. A chocolate cyst can affect one or both ovaries, and may occur in multiples or singularly.

Chocolate cysts occur in 20 to 40 percent of women who have endometriosis, estimates the Endometriosis Foundation of America.

Endometriosis is a common disorder in which the lining of the uterus, known as the endometrium, grows outside the uterus and onto the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and other areas of the reproductive tract. The overgrowth of this lining causes severe pain and sometimes infertility.

Chocolate cysts are a subgroup of endometriosis. They’re often associated with more severe forms of the disorder.

What are the symptoms?

Chocolate cysts may cause symptoms in some women. Other women may not experience any symptoms.

The size of the cyst also doesn’t necessarily affect the severity or presence of symptoms. This means a woman with a small cyst may experience symptoms, while someone with a large one may not. Cysts can range from 2 to 20 centimeters (cm) in size.

When symptoms do occur, they’re similar to those of endometriosis. They can include:
• painful, crampy periods
• pelvic pain not related to your menstrual cycle
• irregular periods
• pain during sex
• infertility for some women

If a chocolate cyst ruptures, it can cause severe, sudden abdominal pain on the side of the body where the cyst is located. A ruptured cyst can be a medical emergency. Seek immediate medical attention if you suspect you have a ruptured cyst.

How are chocolate cysts diagnosed?

Your doctor may order a pelvic ultrasound if:

• they feel a cyst during a pelvic exam
• they suspect you have endometriosis based on your symptoms
• you’re experiencing unexplained infertility

An ultrasound can identify if a cyst is present. But it can’t necessarily determine what type of cyst it is.

To definitively diagnose a chocolate cyst, your doctor will extract fluid and debris from inside the cyst. This is usually done with a needle biopsy.
During a needle biopsy, your Gynecologist will use ultrasound to help them insert a needle through the vagina into the ovarian cyst. The extracted fluid is then examined under a microscope. Your Gynecologist can diagnose the type of cyst using the results from the needle biopsy.

Dr. Ruchi Tandon is a Gynecologist practicing in leading hospitals in South Delhi, namely Max and Apollo hospitals, she has over 13 years experience in handling endometriosis and all kinds of ovarian cysts.

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Endometriotic or chocolate cyst of the ovary

Chocolate cysts are noncancerous, fluid-filled cysts that typically form deep within the ovaries. They get their name from their brown, tar-like appearance, looking something like melted chocolate. They’re also called ovarian endometriomas.

The color comes from old menstrual blood and tissue that fills the cavity of the cyst. A chocolate cyst can affect one or both ovaries, and may occur in multiples or singularly.

Chocolate cysts occur in 20-40 percent of women who have endometriosis, estimates the Endometriosis Foundation of America.

Endometriosis is a common disorder in which the lining of the uterus, known as the endometrium, grows outside the uterus and onto the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and other areas of the reproductive tract. The overgrowth of this lining causes severe pain and sometimes infertility.

Chocolate cysts are a subgroup of endometriosis. They’re often associated with more severe forms of the disorder.

What are the symptoms?

Chocolate cysts may cause symptoms in some women. Other women may not experience any symptoms.

The size of the cyst also doesn’t necessarily affect the severity or presence of symptoms. This means a woman with a small cyst may experience symptoms, while someone with a large one may not. Cysts can range from 2 to 20 centimeters (cm) in size.

When symptoms do occur, they’re similar to those of endometriosis. They can include:

  • painful, crampy periods
  • Pelvic pain not related to your menstrual cycle
  • Irregular periods
  • Pain during sex
  • infertility for some women

If a chocolate cyst ruptures, it can cause severe, sudden abdominal pain on the side of the body where the cyst is located. A ruptured cyst can be a medical emergency. Seek immediate medical attention if you suspect you have a ruptured cyst.

What causes chocolate cysts?

There’s a lot of debate as to how and why chocolate cysts form. One theory is that they may be a result of endometriosis.

The lining of these cysts acts much the way the lining of the uterus does. It grows and is then shed in response to the monthly rise and fall of female hormones.

Instead of leaving the body, this tissue becomes trapped within the cavity of the cyst. Here it can produce inflammation and disrupt the ovaries.

How are chocolate cysts diagnosed?

Your doctor may order a pelvic ultrasound if:

  • they feel a cyst during a pelvic exam
  • they suspect you have endometriosis based on your symptoms
  • you’re experiencing unexplained infertility

An ultrasound can identify if a cyst is present. But it can’t necessarily determine what type of cyst it is.

To definitively diagnose a chocolate cyst, your doctor will extract fluid and debris from inside the cyst. This is usually done with a needle biopsy.

During a needle biopsy, your doctor will use ultrasound to help them insert a needle through the vagina into the ovarian cyst. The extracted fluid is then examined under a microscope. Your doctor can diagnose the type of cyst using the results from the needle biopsy.

How are chocolate cysts treated?

Treatment will depend on several factors, including:

  1. your age
  2. your symptoms
  3. whether one or both ovaries are affected
  4. whether or not you want to have children

If the cyst is small and not producing symptoms, your doctor may advise a watch-and-wait approach. They may also recommend medication that inhibits ovulation, such as the birth control pill. This can help control pain and slow the growth of cysts, but it can’t cure them.

Surgery to remove the cysts, called an ovarian cystectomy, is often recommended for women who have:

  1. painful symptoms
  2. cysts larger than 4 cm
  3. cysts that may be cancerous (but a 2006 review estimates less than 1 percent of cysts are cancerous)
  4. infertility

The surgery is generally done via a laparoscope. A laparoscope is a thin, long tube with a light and camera on the end that helps doctors perform the procedure. It’s inserted through a small incision.

The surgery is controversial in terms of whether it hurts or helps fertility.

Even when the surgeon is highly skilled, healthy ovarian tissue can be removed along with the cyst. That may negatively affect ovarian function. However, the inflammation and toxic environment a chocolate cyst can produce may do more harm to fertility than surgery.

Discuss all of your options and concerns with your Gynecologist before beginning treatment.

Dr. Ruchi Tandon is a Gynecologist practicing in leading hospitals in South Delhi, namely, Max Smart superspeciality hospital, saket, Apollo cradle Royale and is skilled in handling endometriotic or chocolate cysts.

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Endometrial polyp in your 40’s

Uterine or endometrial polyps are growths attached to the inner wall of the uterus that extend into the uterine cavity. Overgrowth of cells in the lining of the uterus (endometrium) leads to the formation of ensdometrial polyps, also known as uterine polyps. These polyps are usually noncancerous (benign), although some can be cancerous or can eventually turn into cancer. They can range from few millimetres to few centimeters and can be endometrial, endocervical or cervical polyps depending on the origin of the tissue.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of uterine polyps include:

  • Irregular menstrual bleeding — for example, having continuous, unpredictable periods of variable length and heaviness
  • Bleeding between 2 menstrual periods
  • Excessively heavy menstrual periods
  • Vaginal bleeding after menopause
  • Infertility

Some women have only light bleeding or spotting; others are without symptoms.

Causes

Doctors don’t know exactly why women get uterine polyps, but it may be related to changes in hormone levels. Each month, your estrogen levels rise and fall, directing the lining of the uterus to thicken and then shed during your period. It’s an overgrowth of that uterine lining that makes a polyp.

Some things make you more likely to have polyps. One is age ,they’re more common in your 40s or 50s. That may be due to the changes in estrogen levels that happen right before and during your menopause.

Obesity, high blood pressure and taking the breast cancer drug tamoxifene can also raise your chances for uterine polyps.

Diagnosis

Transvaginal ultrasound

Hysteroscopy

Endometrial biopsy

Treatment modalities

Watch and wait

Medication :Some studies have shown polyps less than 5 mm can be treated with course of progesterones for upto 3 cycles, polys might regress or be she’d out in next  menstrual cycle.

Hysteroscopy:

Hysteroscopy had been accepted as the gold standard in diagnosis and treatment of all types of polyps. It is usually done as a daycare procedure and the obtained tissue is sent for histopathology diagnosis.

What to expect with hysteroscopic removal of endometrial polyp

Prior to surgery

  • You may be asked to stop taking aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), Clopidogrel (Plavix), warfarin (Coumadin), and other blood thinners.
  • You will be scheduled to undergo the procedure after menstrual bleeding has ended and before ovulation (if you are still ovulating).
  • Ask your doctor which drugs you should still take on the day of the surgery.
  • Discuss any possible bleeding disorders or other medical conditions that you may have.
  • You will have blood samples taken in case you need a blood transfusion.
  • Do not smoke. This will help you to recover quicker.

On the Day of the Surgery

  • If you are to have general anesthesia, you will usually be asked not to drink or eat anything after midnight the night before the surgery.
  • Take the drugs your doctor told you to take with a small sip of water.
  • Your doctor or nurse will tell you when to arrive at the hospital.

After Surgery

  • Most patients can go home the same day.
  • You may have increased cramping and vaginal bleeding for a day or two after the procedure.
  • You may experience gas pains for about a day or so due to gas administered during the procedure. This may extend into your upper abdomen and shoulder. Walking will help relieve this pressure.
  • This surgery has a quick recovery with most patients feeling much better within the first few days.

Recovery: what to expect in the next few weeks

  • Some women have some water discharge with some blood for a few weeks expect the flow to be heavy at first and then diminishing over time.
  • Most women feel better within the first week following surgery; however, do not lift, push or pull any heavy objects for a couple of weeks.
  • Do not resume sexual intercourse or douche until your doctor says it is OK.
  • Full recovery takes about two weeks to allow for internal healing.

Dr.Ruchi Tandon is a trained hysteroscopic surgeon with over 13 years of clinical experience. At present, she is providing her services in leading hospitals in South Delhi namely, Apollo Spectra, Apollo Cradle Royale and Max Smart super speciality hospital, Saket.