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Large Adnexal Cyst found by CT scan
Just wanted to know if anyone has had a a large adnexal cyst found and if it was removed. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019 and went through chemo and radiation therapy. During a routine CT scan before chemo, a large cyst was discovered but it didn't look suspicious so we left it as.
I also did a couple of vaginal ultrasounds to monitore it over the years. It has remain stable. I also have done an MRI with no added information. However, all doctors have recommended it me to remove the cyst because it is large (12cm). I am kinda scared of removing it and finding out that it is malignant even though all tests/scans/us show that its not suspicious. I went to see last week a gyno surgeon who recommends to do the surgery to remove the cyst but also to remove both ovaries since I'm already menopausal and 47 years old. Would you do it? I have no symptoms. It's not bothering me. Why mess around with something that is asymptomatic plus it doesn't look suspicious. Am I missing something?
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I had surgery to have my ovary removed & have been doing great. Not sure if it was actually necessary to remove it because I don't know if they dissolve on their own but my Dr was scared that it was cancer so he had it removed and tested & Thank God everything was good. The only thing is that my periods are not consistent anymore. I go 8 to 9 months without one then I have one then it can be months again before I have one. But I do enjoy not having them
Hello, @eigna32
It seems wise to me to question the recommendation of a single provider when that recommendation includes removing a part of your body that has a function that impacts many other body systems and life experiences. Even if you are post-menopausal, your ovaries (as I read online) produce testosterone after menopause, and that testosterone may be converted to estrogen in fatty tissue surrounding the ovaries. The post-menopausal ovary has SOME functions, even if they are not yet spelled out well by science. @candybeason45 is able to say that she is doing great following the removal of (it sounds like only one, but I may have misunderstood and may be both) ovaries. Many others might or will say the same and that's positive feedback from actual women who have been there that's worth considering. My post-menopausal ovaries were removed during my total hysterectomy following a cancer diagnosis and I am still a human being, still sexually alive (although admittedly with some changes in how I experience arousal and orgasms, and also, admittedly, with a drive that is more muted), and profoundly grateful to be alive.
For myself, I would be tempted to seek a second opinion on this, and would also want to consider how it would be for me to have one surgery to remove the cyst (if possible), followed by another surgery in the same area later on, if needed. How might my body tolerate that? How would I feel...about my body, about any risks involved in retaining my ovaries, etc.
I would also want to ask this GYN surgeon (and others, including a GYN ONC) whether it is feasible/safe/advisable to have a first surgery to remove the cyst, and if possible, could that surgery also include some way to examine the ovaries or biopsy them (? am I making up new procedures?) during the procedure, and if not showing evidence of malignancy, spare them at the moment, with a plan to remove them later if there is a recurrence or more worrisome information or symptoms arise. I may be making up possibilities that do not, in reality exist. But asking is free over and above the price of your consultation.
I hope you will hear from others here about the impacts on them, so close to menopause, from removal of one or more ovaries in the event of an adnexal cyst. I also hope that you are able to gather enough information about the options available to you and the possible outcome of each of them to be able to make a choice that feels safe enough and right for you. With best wishes, Gynosaur