An ovarian cyst is a sac filled with liquid or solid material which is situated on the surface of the ovary or inside the ovary. They affect women that are in the fertile years and most of them disappear by themselves.

Once a month, normally the ovary releases an egg. This egg forms inside a follicle and once it is mature enough it is released from there towards the uterus. The ovaries contain a lot of small follicles but only one is chosen every month to grow in sizes and nurture the egg. After the egg is mature the follicle will rupture and the egg will be set free. The follicle will shrink and transform into the luteum corpus. If the egg is not fecundated the corpus luteum will dissolve and disappear. If this process is affected, the functional ovarian cysts will form.

The functional cysts are known to disappear after two menstrual cycles by their own without any treatment and they are not harmful.

Ovarian cysts can be formed also due to an imbalance in the process of releasing feminine hormones like estrogen and progesterone. These are the dermoid cyst (it contains skin, tissues and hair), cystadenoma cyst (they develop on the surface of the ovary), endometrioma cyst, and polycystic ovarian disease (a lot of follicles which gather in the ovary and can cause infertility).

Generally the ovarian cysts do not give any symptoms unless they rupture or torsion. The women will feel a dull ache in the tummy or pressure and bloating all because the cyst is bleeding and is irritating the local tissues. Sometimes bleeding outside the menstrual periods can occur or a delay in the menstruation might occur too.

The ovarian cysts are discovered generally during a pelvic examination. If the doctor is not sure about the presence of a cyst he will use ultrasounds in order to get the right diagnose.

Treating an ovarian cyst is not easy and all the future methods of treatment a doctor will apply depend on the patient's age, health condition and future pregnancy plans. In some cases after two or three weeks the cysts disappear without any treatment so it is best to wait a while and see if any signs of regression of the cysts appear or if medication is needed. It seems that contraceptive drugs can prevent the forming of the ovarian cysts and sometimes they can even shrink the existing cysts.

Surgery is the last possibility of treatment and is applied in those cases that do not respond to hormonal medication. Those cysts who have twisted, and who are bleeding must immediately be resolved by surgery as they endanger the patient's life. In some cases the ovary must be removed during the removal of the cysts as it can become cancerous.

Women should go periodically to the doctor and ask for a pelvic exam as by this procedure the doctor can discover in early stages an existing ovarian cyst and can treat it easier.