return of the cyst?

[girlygirl]

When I was seventeen, I had a dermoid cyst in one of my ovaries. It went away on its own, but now, three and a half years later, I am worried that it may have come back. I don't know much about the symptoms of ovarian cysts, but I have several symptoms that I think indicate that something weird is going on with my hormones.

The main thing that worries me is that, in recent months, my periods have often smelled like blood. Obviously, menstrual fluid consists largely of blood, but, at least in my experience, the smell is usually very different. I believe that ovarian cysts sometimes cause bleeding, and I remember noticing a similar smell during my period the first time I had a cyst.

I have several other symptoms that I think indicate some sort of hormonal change. For a little over a year I have had an unusually heavy discharge from my vagina. At times, it has gotten so heavy that it is like having a clear period. I saw a gynacolagist about this, and she found nothing wrong. However, she was looking for signs of an infection, not for signs of a cyst or a hormonal imbalance.

Around the same time that I started having the heavy discharge, my breasts started getting bigger, and were often extremely sore around my period. This was at the age of nineteen, years after my breasts appeared to have stopped growing. I am now almost 21, and my breasts have grown about a cup size and seem to still be growing. Neither I nor my boyfriend mind this particular symptom all that much, but it does worry me a little in combination with the other symptoms.

Since I was about eighteen, I have had an ocasional pain in my abdomen, similar to mild menstrual cramps but too early to be part of PMS. I asked a doctor about this, and she said that it was probably ovulation. This may be exactly what it is, since it seems to happen at around the right time in my cycle. However, I often get these pains more than once in the same month, which seems inconcistant with ovulation.

A lot of these symptoms seem to point to me just being a late-bloomer, so I should mention that most of my "blooming" happened at a pretty typical rate; breast growth started at ten, first period at eleven, etc.

Could this be another cyst? A different medical problem? Is this worth seeing a doctor about, or am I being paranoid?

[Vixen916]

girlygirl, my Mom had a hyseterctomy in December because of two ovarian cysts that would not rupture. They grew and grew and with that, contained puss pockets.. her insides were swelling with infection. I share the entire story of that because she has suffered from ovarian cysts for years. She had her last ones roughly 2-3 years ago, which just like normal ruptured on their own and eventually all the blood from them leaked out and she continued on as normal...I know in her case she was always told the cysts are reoccuring. In her case they were... so based on what I know my Mom went through and them coming back.. not to mention your discription of what you have... it sounds like you are right. My Mom's story should be a lesson to you... go to the doctor ASAP in case something is wrong.

[Brandye]

Girly,

No responsible progessional will attempt to answer your question online. I do not know the answer. With the brief history you give, you should be seeing your doctor. This could be nothing; this could be a real problem. You cannot be comfortable until you know. Please, get it checked.

Less important but as for the spotting and it likely indicating ovulation, that sounds like a good answer. Some women do, during some part of their lives, ovulate more than once a month. This can be a problem when sexually active.

Hugs

[Vixen916]

following brandye's post, i thought it important.. I'm not a professional, just sharing a story with a severe outcome with a problem with a cyst. don't want to scare anyone, just wanted to point out how important it was to go see a doc...that's all i know.