Last year I had a smear test and found the whole thing so painful that I was sent for tests to see what the problem was. An ultrasound showed a 7cm dermoid cyst on my left ovary. I went for an oopherectomy but halfway through the op the surgical team called in an oncologist because my left and right ovaries both had “anomalies” on them. Both my Mother and Grandmother had ovarian cancer so this was of great concern. They didn’t remove the left ovary but took biopsies from both instead and told me it was more than likely cancer. I’d accepted this and started thinking about hysterectomies etc but miraculously everything came back clear. The oncologist still had concerns so he took over the case. He wanted to do a full hysterectomy given the family history. I didn’t! We agreed on another oopherectomy to remove the dermoid and left ovary but again a decision was taken half way through surgery not to proceed. I’m 35 and want children in the future so asked the surgeon to only do the procedure if it was absolutely necessary. He determined that the left ovary should really come out but given the “anomalies” found on both, there may be some damage to the right which could impact fertility. As a result, he left them both in. So, two laparoscopies later and I still have two ovaries! 

It was a really tough time and the wait for the biopsy results was the worst part of it all. The reason I’ve gone in to detail above is because it goes to show you cannot second guess what’s going to happen. It’s easy to worry but the best advice I can give you is to try and accept it’s out of your hands and let go. Easier said than done I know but if possible wait to deal with facts.....not the worst case scenario that’s bound to play out in your head! 

I still go for quarterly scans to monitor progress. The last one showed the dermoid has grown and I’ve got to go and have another surgery review. I could never have imagined how this would all play out to date so I won’t be trying to second guess what will happen next! 

Good luck to all who have taken time to share their stories on here. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone but it’s oddly comforting to read about people in similar situations. All the best ladies. 

Does having both ovaries removed mean going into early menopause? I'm 27.

I had bilateral dermoid cysts removed at 34. They were discovered  due to an xray I was having. Though thinking back I did have symptoms...irregular periods and occassional stabbing pain.

Due to not having children yet they gave me the option of trying to save as much ovary tissue as possible rather than full removal. I was left with 1/4 and a 1/2 a ovary. Results came back all good and hormone levels as they should be 3 months after. Dermoids are very often destructive to the ovary rather than anything more serious thankfully. So over a certain size it is best to remove incase they twist the ovary which can be life threatening.

Yes my consultant told me it would

I'm sure if you go to the Dr and explain your symptoms they will sort the tests out. Mine never really caused any symptoms to start, they were discovered on an xray of my lower back. However once they were removed I realised that I had been very bloated and the odd stabbing pain ( during sex and when twisting) was not normal!

If it puts your mind at rest removal is painful for about a week. I wanted to keep my ovaries so I had an open op, they removed the cysts and I was left with a 1/2 and a 1/4 ovary at 32. As long as there is enough tissue left they work fine and I'm currently pregnant at the age of 40! There is a risk of earlier menapause...but mine were also causing problems with my cycles anyway ( which at the time I thought was my normal) Been super regular since the op!

My advice is an op is better earlier rather than later. The cysts can eventually destroy all the ovary tissue. They also test the removed tissue so that puts your mind at rest over any cancer issues ( most dermoids are perfectly ' healthy' tissue. Mine were full of teeth like structures, hair and glandular tissue! ( I named them my furbies!) :D

Honestly try not to worry. Get to Dr's either be scanned and tested or go for it insist on a refferal and have them removed. (if they cause symptoms that also hits the criteria for removal) Yes, the conservative op is bigger and will require a 3 day stay compared to full removal via keyhole. It also took a 2 month recovery but for peace of mind and reproductive health it was the best option for me with bilateral cysts.

Yes i think ill have to go on monday and push for tests.  Im just not sure its the Dermoid causing the symptoms, but either way they are better removed and earlier.

I have a lot of flank pain as well, white blood cells and lympo something was elevated and blood in the urine so they put me on Amoxcillin. That finished Friday and i still have flank pain in addition to pelvic pain so i left in another urine sample which showed protein in the urine. So im not sure if theres a kidney issue as well and it may be the issue causing all the pain.

But regardless, i do agree younger is better to have these Dermoids removed...im just terrified. I always think the worst!  And my son is only 5...if you know were im going i just worry something would go wrong.

I lost a lot of blood in my C section so the thought of any op terrifies me :|  the joys of getting older!

I think any op is super worrying. They can sometimes do keyhole ( They started mine as keyhole but I gave permission to convert to the large op if they needed so I kept as much ovary tissue as possible and thiscan be tricky with keyhole) .

Whatever you decide I hope it goes well for you. Its a hard decision esp when you have a little person depending on you. Its all about weighing up the risks or keeping them and them being removed later in life or biting the bullet. I hate worry so I'm very much a doer so the worry goes away! 

Hi Kerry 

I had a 10x10cm dermoid cyst removed from my left ovary in March. I am 23 and I had no idea I had it until it twisted causing severe abdominal pain. The wait for blood tests and scans were particularly difficult, but thankfully they indicated it was benign. Still the wait for the surgery was difficult because if it could twist once and cause that awful pain it could do it again at any time (thankfully when it had twisted the first time it untwisted eventually but that didn't mean it would do the same the next time). 

Anyway, it was successfully removed in March. They tried to go in laproscopically initially but decided they needed to open me up fully to safely remove it (I had agreed just before the surgery that if necessary this was ok). 

I have also had pain since the surgery. My pain comes and goes but particularly when I have my period it is worse and specifically sore around my left ovary (the one the cyst was removed from). I am yet to go see my doctor about this. Did you get an answer as to why you were still in pain? 

Best Wishes 

Kirsty 

Hi, 

In april 2019, I had sudden sharp pain in my right side that lasted for whole day. It was very painful so I went A&E which was a long wait.They first thought it was kidney stones so they requested a CT scan next day. They found a cyst in my ovary which made sense for the reason of my pain, again they made me wait to see an gynecologist. She explained that it is a very small tiny old cyst that was present during birth . At that point i didnt understand, she said because it tiny it shouldnt cause pain so she basically told me she doesnt know why i was in pain which was very frustrating. she said i need a 6 months scan to monitor it. since then i have been having lilttle pain in my righ side , it feels really sensitive that area. I also have lower back pains , neck pains and upper back pains. Today was my scan, at first she like it looks okay but she couldnt clearly see my right side as thats where the cyst is due to my bladder being full . she asked me to empty it and then she could see it clearly. from what i saw the cyst is still there and she measured it. she didnt say anything , only that the results will be sent to my doctor. That really concerned me as before she said everthing is fine and at the end she didnt say anything.

dont they suppose to tell us how big is it or whether its normal , cause she didnt say anything to me at the end. I am 26 and planning to have a baby so I am very scared if there any problems. The lady that did scan mentioned the name dermoid. I was looking online and found this forum. it makes me feel relieved that alot people go through it and i can talk about it here.