Multiple Cysts on Ovaries: What You Need to Know

All women are born with about 100,000 immature egg cells in the ovaries which begin development into viable egg cells for fertilization as soon as puberty is reached. When the process of egg cell development fails and the egg is not released, this naturally turns into a cyst. The existing cyst will then start giving out hormones and signals that prevent or confuse the development of other egg cells, leading to even more cysts. It is then that a vicious cycle begins, resulting in multiple cysts on ovaries, or what is commonly known as the Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).

The Symptoms

The presence of multiple cysts on ovaries, if left unchecked, can lead to infertility, amenorrhea (absence of menstrual bleeding), hirsutism (excessive facial or body hair), male pattern baldness, and acne. As much as fifty per cent of women with PCOS, or the condition which is characterized by multiple cysts on ovaries, are obese, some even morbidly obese with high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It is not fully understood which is the cause and which is the effect, but they are, without a doubt, co-related, which essentially means that the treatment of one will help in treating the other.

The Treatment

There are studies that relate the growth of multiple cysts on ovaries with hyperinsulinimia, a pre-diabetic state in which too much insulin is produced by the pancreas. With this in mind, it has been found that treatment with oral hypoglycemic drugs to lower the insulin sometimes also reverses the adverse effects of having multiple cysts on ovaries.

Multiple cysts on ovaries also contain androgens, and the use of anti-androgenic drugs have been helpful in lessening the cysts, as well as the return of a normal menstrual cycle and even normal ovulation. If treatment by medicine does not work in reducing the number of the cysts on the ovaries, non-invasive surgery may be an option.
Since hormones from multiple cysts on ovaries tend to pool inside, holes are drilled onto the ovaries to let the fluid out. This will, hopefully, correct the cycle and allow the cycle of egg cell maturation to go its usual course.

The Theory

The development of PCOS or multiple cysts on ovaries have long been thought of as an adult onset disorder, but studies that have connected genetics to the development of the disease contend that it may actually have its start as early as the fetal stage. It basically follows the simple idea that prevention is definitely better than cure. If the development of multiple cysts on ovaries can be stopped before even the first of the cysts are formed, then certainly the vicious cycle of one cyst developing and contributing to the development of another will never have to begin.

When you find yourself with symptoms that may mean you have multiple cysts on ovaries, it doesn't pay to turn a blind eye. Consult your physician right away with another simple idea in mind: it's better to be safe than sorry.