Will an ovarian cyst shrink on its own? Will it get worse if left untreated?

Will an ovarian cyst get smaller on its own? Will it get worse if not treated?

Most patients with ovarian cysts have no obvious symptoms and are only discovered during gynecological examinations. Occasionally, cysts rupture and cause bleeding and pain. Among them, follicular cysts are common ovarian cysts. Most of them can shrink or disappear on their own within two months without special treatment. Corpus luteum cysts are related to the continued existence of the corpus luteum after ovulation and bleeding and plasma exudation. During pregnancy, the corpus luteum can also enlarge to become a corpus luteum cyst.

Corpus luteum cysts in non-pregnant women usually shrink or disappear within two months, and corpus luteum cysts in pregnancy usually disappear naturally after 3 months of pregnancy. After hydatidiform mole is expelled by uterine curettage or after treatment of choriocarcinoma, corpus luteum cysts can disappear on their own.

As for ovarian cystic tumors, there are benign and malignant types. They cannot disappear naturally and all require surgical removal.

Symptoms of worsening ovarian cysts include:

1. Abdominal distension

Due to the rapid development of malignant tumors, patients will experience obvious abdominal distension in a short period of time, and examination is often accompanied by ascites.

2. Abdominal pain

If a malignant ovarian cyst affects the surrounding nerves and absorbs nutrients from the surrounding organs and tissues, the patient will experience obvious lower abdominal pain, back pain or lower limb pain. Abdominal pain symptoms, especially right lower abdominal pain, in patients with malignant ovarian cysts need to be differentiated from diseases such as pelvic inflammation to avoid misdiagnosis and delay the best early treatment opportunity for the disease.

3. Cachexia

The main symptom of patients with late-stage malignant ovarian cysts is cachexia. Gynecological examination can reveal scattered hard nodules in the posterior fornix in the vagina. The lumps mostly occur on one side, are generally fixed, solid or semi-solid, and have an uneven surface.