Diagnosis of Ovarian Cysts

Once you recognize the symptoms and causes of ovarian cysts it's important to get a professional medical diagnosis to determine the seriousness of your ovarian cysts.

Diagnosis Tests

A healthcare provider may perform the following tests to determine if a woman has an ovarian cyst or to help characterize the type of cyst that is present:

    1) Endovaginal ultrasound: This is a special imaging test developed to examine the pelvic organs and is the best test for diagnosing an ovarian cyst. An endovaginal ultrasound is a painless procedure that resembles a pelvic exam. This type of ultrasound produces the best image because rather than a scan through the abdominal wall a small probe is inserted in the vigina and can be positioned closer to the ovaries.

    -Other imaging: CT scanning aids in assessing the extent of the condition. MRI scanning may also be used to clarify results of an ultrasound.

    2) Laparoscopic surgery: A procedure when a surgeon fills a woman's abdomen with a gas and makes small incisions through which a thin scope (laparoscope) can pass into the abdomen. The surgeon identifies the cyst through the scope and may remove the cyst.

    3) Serum CA-125 assay: This is a blood test that checks for a substance called CA-125, which is associated with ovarian cancer (the CA stands for cancer antigen). This test is used in the assessment of epithelial ovarian cancer and may help determine if an ovarian mass is harmless or cancerous. However, sometimes non-harmful conditions may result in the elevated levels of CA-125 in the blood, so the test does not positively establish the diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

    4) Hormone levels: A blood test to check LH, FSH, estradiol, and testosterone levels. Checking these levels are used to indicate potential problems concerning those hormone levels.

    5) Pregnancy testing: The treatment of ovarian cysts is different for a pregnant woman than it's for a non-pregnant woman. An ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside the uterus) must be ruled out because some of the symptoms of ectopic pregnancy may be similar to those of ovarian cysts.

    6) Culdocentesis: This test involves taking a fluid sample from the pelvis with a needle inserted through the vaginal wall behind the uterine cervix.
Once you received a medical diagnosis you can properly treat your ovarian cysts. Conventional ovarian cysts treatments are the most commonly used treatment but this strategy has been proven over and over again to only mask symptoms and in some cases make the condition worse. Conventional wisdom blinded by out-of-date forms of treatment cannot treat and cure ovarian cysts. To treat ovarian cysts, a multidimensional holistic approach is needed.