Dermoid Cyst

This post is for Jennifer! LOL She's gonna love it!

Quite a few years ago (within the last 5..I don't remember the exact year) I had surgery to have a dermoid cyst removed from my ovary on the right side. During the surgery they had to take my ovary. I've been thinking about the surgery a lot lately as mom had surgery not that long ago and it reminded me of the day I went in for surgery.

My dermoid cyst was the size of a kiwi when they first found it. I was told I would be monitored every 6 months to make sure that the cyst didn't grow any. About a year later (after no follow ups) I was going to to Colscopy clinic to have my PAP tests done (for like ever!) when I asked the doctor if the cyst would cause abnormal cells in my PAP he said no, then I explained that I was supposed to be monitored. A little bit after that I got a notice in the mail to go get an ultrasound done. During that ultrasound they discovered that the cyst had grown to the size of a softball (that is quite the increase!) That's when it was determind that they would take the cyst out. At the time of the ultrasound the cyst was not twisted, but by the time I went in for surgery the cyst had twisted and cut off the blood supply to my ovary which in turn caused the ovary to stop working and made it the removal of the ovary neccessary.

The other day at work we were talking about it and Jen asked me what a Dermoid Cyst was so I started to explain it to her and she made me shut up as she thought it was too gross! Then I told her to look it up on the internet so that she could see a picture. LOL She thought I meant I had a picture of my cyst. But I don't have my own picture, as it busted when it was taken out and he said it wouldn't have made a very nice picture! LOL

I thought that I could write a post about it so that everyone will know exactly what a dermoid cyst is. The information has been gathered from several websites.

Dermoid Cyst - A bizarre tumor, usually benign, in the ovary that typically contains a diversity of tissues including hair, teeth, bone, thyroid, etc.

What is a Dermoid Cyst?
The idea of a dermoid cyst is somewhat startling. For reasons we don't understand, the cells of the ovary can, all by themselves and without the presence of any sperm, start to produce hair, teeth, fluid, and other growing tissues to form an ovarian cyst. This is called a dermoid cyst. Dermoid cysts are fairly common, occurring most often before menopause and are almost never cancerous (less than 1/1000). Dermoid cysts have a fairly characteristic appearance on sonogram and often the diagnosis can be made this way. Unfortunately, these cysts do not go away by themselves and surgery is recommended when they are found.

What Causes a Dermoid Cyst?
I looked online for a long time for the answer to this and it ranges from you are born with it to fluid collects for no reason. So I guess what they really want to say here is they have NO idea! LOL

General Dermoid Cyst Information
Dermoid cysts may occur at any age but the prime age of detection is in the childbearing years. The average age is 30. Up to 15% of women with ovarian teratomas have them in both ovaries. Dermoid cysts can range in size from a centimeter (less than a half inch) up to 45 cm (about 17 inches) in diameter. In 25 percent of cases, cysts are found on both ovaries. Hmmm 15 to 25% of women who have a dermoid cyst in one ovary gets a cyst in the other one. This information scares me, I don't want to go through that again.

These cysts can cause the ovary to twist (torsion) and imperil its blood supply. The larger the dermoid cyst, the greater the risk of rupture with spillage of the greasy contents which can create problems with adhesions, pain etc. Although the large majority (about 98%) of these tumors are benign, the remaining fraction (about 2%) becomes cancerous (malignant).

Depending on the position of the cyst within the ovary, it may be necessary to remove a portion of or the entire ovary. In this case, a woman may wonder about her fertility potential. If the remaining ovarian tissue is normal, a woman may still ovulate, menstruate, and conceive a pregnancy. Even if one ovary is completely removed, the other ovary is stimulated and continues to produce eggs, so that conception can occur. (that's incase anyone was wondering about my fertility! LOL)

I was going to include some pictures of the cysts...but my goodness they are GROSS!! and I wouldn't want anyone to have to see them. If you are interested, the best way to find them is to type pictures of an ovarian dermoid cyst in google and it'll bring up some wonderful pictures! I found one that was all labeled and everything, but like I said...they are really gross!