Thursday, November 5, 2009

Bleeding Ovarian Cyst Requires Immediate Care

By Amanda Clark

Ovarian cysts are an occurrence with women of any age, usually related to a woman's normal bodily processes. However, when a bleeding ovarian cyst happens, a woman needs to consult her physician immediately.

Understanding how ovarian cysts form, and what might cause them to bleed, can help a woman know her own body better. When she understands her body processes, she can better consult with her physician about the possibility of ovarian cysts. Women of all ages can have ovarian cysts. However women of childbearing age, still subject to the monthly menstrual cycle, tend to be more prone to them.

Ovarian cysts tend to form in one of the following ways:

Sometimes, an ovary - one of the two walnut-sized organs on either side of the uterus where eggs ripen - fails to release an ovum. The small sac that holds the egg, called a follicle, can close itself off around the unreleased ovum and fill with fluid. Doctors call this kind a "functional cyst."

Ovarian cysts can be seen in an ultrasound image, looking like bubbles. Women of all ages can be affected by ovarian cysts, but they're particularly prevalent in women of childbearing age. Most cysts have nothing to do with any disease and most are not cancerous.

Either type of cyst can fill with fluid and blood. Whenever a cyst like this ruptures, it discharges bloody fluid that severely irritates the abdomen, especially the lining of the peritoneum. Even the smallest amount of blood can inflame the sensitive peritoneum, which holds many nerve endings. In addition, bleeding ovarian cysts can twist the ovary, a condition called ovarian torsion. Severe pain usually results when this happens.

Most ovarian cysts go away within a few weeks, but a bleeding ovarian cyst needs urgent medical attention. Bleeding ovarian cysts can cause intense abdominal pain as well as bleeding. If a woman's own physician isn't available, she should go right away to an emergency clinic for treatment, which may require surgery.

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