Thank you Kate. I am glad you are feeling better now.

I wish I could fist fast forward time and be now out of my surgery. 
 

 

Hi Pip15

I was relieved to come across your post as i'm feeling like a bit of a medical freak over here with a larger than normal dermoid cyst. I'm 32 at it's largest point it measures 12 cm and of course i've read that those over a certain size are more likely to become cancerous. I'm just wondering if yours came back benign? 

Hi Kate88

At 53 years of age, I also have a large ovarian dermoid cyst - 11cm.  I don't have a medical background but from the research I've done, dermoid cysts in premenopausal women are most likely to be benign.  My own doctor even referred to my cyst as benign (taking into account the normal results of a Ca125 test and no family history of ovarian or breast cancer).  
 

I'm due to have an MRI, and then keyhole surgery in late September/early October.  My gynaecologist says she would like to remove both of my ovaries and my Fallopian tubes as well.  I wasn't at all bothered at first but a friend has suggested that my ovaries might still be active (albeit minimally - I've had no period for the past 8 years).  She wonders if removal of both ovaries could cause a sudden drop in hormone levels that might adversely affect my mental health (have had difficulties over the years, so this would be an important consideration for me).  Does that sound bizarre, given that I'm 53? 

Thanks Lizzy! I'm due to have mine out on monday but have opted for the open surgery. Hopefully i made the right decision! I don't think that sounds bizarre at all. I too have struggled with my mental health as a result of my hormones so unless there was a strong case for removing your ovaries such as you being at an increased risk of cancer i would be questioning whether it was worth the risk to my mental health.

Yes, you're right Kate88.  Luckily, I'm not at high risk for ovarian cancer.  The gynaecologist said she would take both ovaries in case another cyst forms but  I'm not sure how likely that is to happen!

The best of luck to you on Monday.  I think recovery from open surgery is slower, so do take things easy when you get home.  

My story sounds so similar to yours. 

Back in 2019, one day I woke up with extreme shooting pains from my hip that run down to the bottom of my right leg.

I had terrible bloating that made me look fullterm pregnant,  the pain was so intense I would just cry everynight, I had to wear heat pads on my thigh , hip and stomach to try and take the pain away.  I would sometimes bleed aswell. 

I went to the doctors started with ultrasounds, they found a dermoid cyst 5cm on my right ovary, I also had an MRI scan, I later seen a gynecologist,  she said the pain can't be coming from my cyst because its to small ! 

I was left unanswered,  she also asked if I wanted more children,  I had 2 daughters at the time. And told her I wasn't another. She offered to remove my ovary but the advice she gave me was to have my family first. 

My youngest daughter is now 1 years old. And I have started suffering with the pain again. When I was having ultrasounds when I was pregnant , I would get told my cyst has gone ‍♀️ a year after my daughter, my pain is back but not as painful and I have abnormal bleeding. Bloated stomach still the same.

So I am going to ring back tomorrow and get this sorted. 

Hi Bon8 and welcome to Cancer Chat.

I'm sorry you haven't had a reponse from Pip yet. As you noticed, they made that post last year and unfortunately haven't been back since so there is a chance you may not hear from them. 

If that turns out to be the case, then I hope these two websites - Private Healthcare UK and The Private Healthcare Information Network - will help you with finding a private surgeon and exploring your options. 

If you'd like to discuss your situation in more detail with one of our cancer nurses, they're just a phone call away on 0808 800 4040, Monday - Friday between 9a.m - 5p.m.

Kind regards,

Steph, Cancer Chat Moderator

I've recently just found out I have a 9cm dermoid cyst on my right ovary i was rushed to hospital due to pain and that's how I found out it was there. They had explained to me that it had been there for a few years but wasn't detected through any of my pregnancies as they said it doesn't affect your chances of getting pregnant I'm currently 9 weeks pregnant but they won't operate due to putting baby at risk. How do you manage the pain not much helps any advice would be appreciated 

Hi Bon,

This is probably too late but might help someone else. I was recently diagnosed with having 2 Dermoid cysts. One 12cm on my right ovary, and one 9 cm on my left ovary. The surgeon on the NHS said that I would need open surgery to remove these and she recommended that both ovaries were also removed. I decided to seek a second opinion as I am only 35 and didn't want to start HRT or rule out the option of having a second child. I went to our local private hospital and the surgeon there said he would do the operation by key hole and could save both ovaries. He did this last week and I feel great. I would REALLY recommend getting second opinion if offered open surgery. The level of skill of the surgeon is the main factor which determines whether they offer key hole surgery and it has such a big impact on recovery times, scarring and post op complications. It did cost me £7500 which I appreciate is a lot of money but if you can afford it then totally worth it.