The idea of having an ovarian cyst in general is scary, but when you’re pregnant it can be frightening. It’s hard enough learning that you have an ovarian cyst when you’re not pregnant, but when you are it’s that much worse. If you have an ovarian cyst this doesn’t mean that you have cancer or anything of the sort, and in fact in most cases the cysts will just end up going away on their own. An ovarian cyst could be formed for numerous reasons, but the follicular cysts are most common and these are caused by the growth of a follicle.

There are the follicular cysts for one which is caused by the growth of a follicle, a fluid filled sac traveling with an egg in it from out of one of the fallopian tubes. These are quite common as are the luteum cysts, which are more closely related to the woman’s menstrual cycle. There are also the luteum cysts which often do not exhibit any symptoms and which tend to occur towards the end of the woman’s menstrual cycle. Your doctor will be able to let you know what type of cyst you’re dealing with.

When it’s an ovarian cyst during pregnancy, much more caution must be taken in regards to treatment and the way the cyst is dealt with. Doctors must be incredibly careful because there’s a risk of harming both mother and baby here. When the cysts are smaller and aren’t causing any pain or discomfort, they are usually just left and monitored. However if the cysts continue to grow there is a possibility they may rupture, and in the case of a pregnant woman this could actually result in a miscarriage or premature labor.

Doctors will generally just watch over the cyst as the pregnancy continues and make sure that it’s not growing too large. Doctors would much rather prefer just leaving the cyst and dealing with it after the baby’s born if need be. Another possible problem that could arise is the cyst could become twisted. This is a serious situation and one in which doctors usually have to operate immediately.

Surgery should always only be a last resort and doctors know this better than anyone. Doctors are extremely careful and for the most part decide to go through with surgery only when the cysts are 6 cm or larger in diameter. While ovarian cysts can develop during a woman’s pregnancy, in most cases they were there before the woman even got pregnant. This is why it’s so important for women to get regular pap exams and keep an eye on their health at all times, especially if they’re planning to become pregnant.