How are ovarian cysts found?
Doctors most often find ovarian cysts during routine pelvic exams. The doctor may feel the swelling of a cyst on the ovary. Once a cyst is found, tests are done to help plan treatment. Tests include: • An ultrasound. This test uses sound waves to create images of the body. With an ultrasound, the doctor can see the cyst’s: • shape • size • location • mass—if it is fluid-filled, solid, or mixed • A pregnancy test. This test may be given to rule out pregnancy. • Hormone level tests. Hormone levels may be checked to see if there are hormone-related problems. • A blood test. This test is done to find out if the cyst may be cancerous. The test measures a substance in the blood called cancer-antigen 125 (CA-125). The amount of CA-125 is higher with ovarian cancer. But some ovarian cancers don’t make enough CA-125 to be detected by the test. Some noncancerous diseases also raise CA-125 levels. Those diseases include uterine fibroids (YOO-tur-ihn FEYE-broidz) and endometriosis.
Doctors most often find ovarian cysts during routine pelvic exams. The doctor may feel the swelling of a cyst on the ovary. Once a cyst is found, tests are done to help plan treatment. Tests include: • An ultrasound. This test uses sound waves to create images of the body. With an ultrasound, the doctor can see the cyst’s: • shape • size • location • mass—if it is fluid-filled, solid, or mixed • A pregnancy test. This test may be given to rule out pregnancy. • Hormone level tests. Hormone levels may be checked to see if there are hormone-related problems. • A blood test. This test is done to find out if the cyst may be cancerous. The test measures a substance in the blood called cancer-antigen 125 (CA-125). The amount of CA-125 is higher with ovarian cancer. But some ovarian cancers don’t make enough CA-125 to be detected by the test. Some noncancerous diseases also raise CA-125 levels. Those diseases include uterine fibroids (YOO-tur-ihn FEYE-broidz) and endometriosis. Noncancerous ca
