Some ovarian cysts are not cysts at all, but rather are “tumors”. Those can be benign or malignant…..and usually require surgery as part of treatment. All the natural treatment in the world won’t get rid of them, BUT here’s the good news…. 97% of ovarian masses are “cysts” that you CAN get rid of and prevent “naturally”. Here’s a primer about this group of “physiologic” or “functional” cysts….

Follicular Cysts
Follicular cysts are hands down the most frequent types of cysts that occur in the ovaries. These cysts can often be found more than one per ovary and measure from a few millimeters (tiny) to a 15 centimeter (6 inch) cyst. This is an ultrasound showing a simple ovarian follicular cyst (the black egg looking area). Notice it has nothing inside it…no solid parts, no separations (called septations).

Follicular cysts are not “tumors”, which are actual abnormal cell growths or lumps on the ovary. You need to know the difference. Before deciding upon what treatment is needed, it is crucial to understand the difference between different types of cysts and to understand that some of them are not cysts at all. Some are actually tumors that are hollow and look like cysts on an ultrasound or other scan. Rarely, some can even be CANCER, and you do not want to mess around with wrong treatments for that. It’s far more effective and safer, to find a natural approach to treatment when you know what you have!

How do you know if you have a follicular cyst? The best test is a pelvic ultrasound. Just like the one above.

Why do follicular cysts form? The short answer is, although we can explain what is going on, we don’t really know why it happens only some of the time in any one person. There are literally millions of hormone dependent biochemical processes active in your body. From time to time, any one of these could go slightly astray and cause problems, including ovarian cysts. If cysts keep arising, then there may be more serious metabolic problems in your body that require attention. In any case, we know enough to give you VERY good ideas about what you can act on starting right now!

What are the most common symptoms of follicular cysts? In addition to the pain from fluid or blood leaking out and the abnormal uterine bleeding (abnormal periods), other symptoms can occur. Some of these are annoying, like a pressure feeling in the pelvis, and some are basically surgical emergencies, like torsion. That is a twisting of the ovary on it’s own blood supply. You should know about this and act on it rapidly or you can lose one of your ovaries if you delay.

How are follicular cysts treated? The truth is that if you wait, almost all ovarian follicular cysts will just go away. Surgery is not needed in most cases. The trick is how you can make them go away faster and how to prevent it from happening again.

What happens if the cyst does not go away? While your doctor can take a good professional educated guess, there is no way to know for sure if the persistent ovarian cyst is a physiologic cyst or an ovarian tumor. But there are some pretty good signs that you have a cyst rather than a tumor. You do not want to miss the boat and be treating a “tumor” with natural means that will never work. You can even risk your life, or at least a bigger surgery if you delay. So, it’s VERY important to know what it what.

What about birth control pills? Do they help treat functional follicular cysts? The short answer is no, they only help prevent future cysts from forming. How does this work? There is a complex reaction between your body and the synthetic hormones in birth control pills. They work. They do prevent cysts, just like they prevent pregnancy. There are also shortcomings of synthetic hormones and it’s important to know those as well so that you can make the best decision for YOUR body. Unfortunately, at this time there are no “bio-identical” or natural birth control pills.

Corpus Luteum Cysts
Another type of physiologic or functional cyst is known as a Corpus Luteum Cyst, or CLC for short. These are less frequent than a follicular cyst, but can cause more problems and emergencies, especially internal bleeding. Why do you need to know the difference? Because your doctor is likely to throw names around that distinguish between these cysts and the specific dangers and treatment options. These cysts also produce different hormones that affect your body and hormone balance. If you don’t know the difference you can be fooled into thinking something is safe when it is not or into surgery that you don’t need.

You can get some of these cysts during pregnancy, and they are normal. The question is how do you know if this is that kind of a cyst or something you need to worry about. It is all based on what is seen on the ultrasound and symptoms and signs you may be having.

So, how do you know if you have a CLC? A missed period followed by some spotting, one sided pelvic pain and a pelvic examination which finds a tender ovarian mass suggest that a persistent Corpus Luteum or CLC is the culprit. However, it is important to make sure a pregnancy test is ordered because these same findings may be there because of an ectopic pregnancy (tubal pregnancy). An ultrasound may not be able to tell these two apart and the treatment would be completely different. There is another non-physiologic cyst which can cause similar symptoms, called an endometrioma, that you need to be familiar with. That is treated in yet another way, often involving surgery, and is a whole separate topic.

When a Corpus Luteum or CLC ruptures, the amount of bleeding and/or pain may cause this to be a surgical emergency. That’s unusual but there are medications and herbs you may be taking that could make it much worse. You should get to know what these are and what the problems might be.
Unfortunately, one third of women (33%) who have a problem with bleeding from a Corpus Luteum or a CLC will have it happen again, possibly over and over. Knowing what you can do to prevent these can save more than one trip to the operating room, or possibly even your life.

By the way, pelvic pain with or without ovarian cysts being present does not mean the pain is coming from a gynecologic organ. In other words, there are other things down there in your pelvis. You could have appendicitis or other bowel problems which have nothing to do with your gynecologic organs.

If surgery is necessary because of bleeding, it is often possible to do it through a laparoscope (bandaid surgery). Usually the ovary does not have to be removed. Only the cyst is removed and bleeding stopped.

If the cyst is NOT ruptured, and there is no bleeding or torsion, it is reasonable to avoid surgery and “wait it out”. Why? Because surgery, no matter how small, causes scars or adhesions to form. You want to avoid surgery if your doctor thinks it is safe based on all of the things you just read about.

Theca Lutein Cysts
The least common type of physiologic or functional cysts are called Theca Lutein cysts or TLC. The key difference is that these are usually multiple, on both ovaries, and occur all at the same time. Each of these cysts can be 1cm to 10cm in size, so if there are multiple cysts the ovaries can be massively enlarged; up to 20-30cm on both sides. How does this happen? The answer is simply hormonal over-stimulation of the ovaries, usually due to pregnancy. Most often this occurs due to very high beta-hCG levels (a hormone of pregnancy) often seen with twins or abnormalities called “molar pregnancy” where the placenta develops but the fetus does not. This is a highly oversimplified explanation, but the point is that high levels of hCG stimulate the ovary. The reason for this over-stimulation should be evaluated. Sometimes these cysts can even look like cancer to the untrained eye. Quite a scare, but usually you just need to ask the right questions and in most cases it is not cancer.

As always, you need to have a trusted healthcare practitioner with whom to discuss all of these issues. Only someone who is taking care of you and can examine you and look at all of your records can render a complete opinion about your best options. Use this information as guidance only and find yourself a doc you can trust!

Hope this helps get you going in the right direction. Truly, this topic has had many books written on it, unfortunately most of which are medical textbooks or are written by well-meaning people that simply don’t know enough to separate scientifically based truth from hype. This can become a bit misleading.

What about ovarian cysts? What are the key three questions to ask your doctor after doing a little bit of research which can make the difference between success in eliminating painful ovarian cysts vs. living in continuous pain? Here they are! What are ovarian cysts, how did they get there and are they all the same kind? If you did not ask these three questions, you may be on the wrong path towards getting rid of the type that you have. If someone tried to treat you without explaining the differences, you are probably working with the wrong health practitioner, whether allopath, naturopath or homeopath.

Don’t worry. You’re not alone in having any of these cysts, but there are DEFINITELY more than a few different kinds. Literally millions of women have various types of cysts grow on their ovaries during their lifetime, sometimes once and sometime many times. 

According to top medical experts, the key to successful treatment and prevention is to realize that there is no “one-size-fits-all” type of “cure”, “top secret” or otherwise. That would be like saying that the best gas for your car is also very good for washing the car and putting into your cooling system. For the best chance of “cure” you have to look for what will work for the type of problem and specific cyst YOU have!! You probably look for specific answers to specific problems and questions in all other parts of your life, right? This is no different.

In order to help with the symptoms of cysts, while you are working on eliminating them, you need to know WHY you are having the symptoms you are having. Otherwise, it’s like trying to treat frostbite with ice packs because ice packs are good to treat other types of injury. Doesn’t make sense does it? Ice packs might be good for treating various types of sprains for example, but that does not mean they are good for everything.

A very important detail that can save your life is this. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, most ovarian cysts can be successfully treated medically and with lifestyle modifications, but ovarian tumors can’t. Tumors can be benign or malignant, but they NEVER go away on their own and can threaten your life. This is a crucial distinction that you need to find the answer to before wasting time or putting off a surgery that you might need. In some cases, that surgery can save your life. On the other hand, you need to know enough to avoid a surgery you may not need.

Having spent years online researching this topic and others, my strong advice to you is to maintain some healthy skepticism about anything you read. There are too many people out there to be wary of. Look for some kind of reference for research proof. You deserve to know if the medical evidence for any given recommendation is GREAT, or so-so, or completely unclear or unproven. It’s up to you what you do with that information. But you still deserve to know. It may make the difference between success and failure and even life or death in some cases.

If you suffer from ovarian cysts, new 21st century science-based discoveries may be your answer.  Today’s breakthrough knowledge  sheds a lot of  light on  how to eliminate and prevent painful ovarian cysts effectively and in 97% of cases, naturally. Just a few years ago many simple ovarian cysts were treated surgically, and in some cases this is still necessary because some cysts are not cysts at all.  Rather they are “tumors” or growths on the ovary, which can be benign or malignant.  According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the  good news is that these are relatively rare compared to the far more common simple ovarian cysts which plague women for decades and simply come and go with a lot of pain.

Dr.Steve Vasilev, a board certified integrative physician who specializes in women’s health care,  recently released what most women will unfortunately never know about effective treatment. He has personally helped thousands of women with painful ovarian cysts using both mainstream and natural methods.  Most came to him  plagued by pain, very worried, bleeding and at their wit’s end.  Nothing was working and the main problem he states was often the wrong treatment for the wrong diagnosis.

Vasilev is the founder of Cureology.com which investigates natural treatments that really work. His new patients had all been coming to him complaining about someone or another’s “story” online that led them astray because of bogus and non-factual information. In his practice over the years he always found that simply explaining what was going on immediately helped put his patients on a solid path to recovery and healing. So, Cureology.com is an extension of the philosophy of natural healing that has science behind it.

His Ovarian Cysts: Effective Cures report starts with the essentials such as, what exactly are ovarian cysts and might YOU have one?  How do ovarian cysts cause pain and bleeding and why you MUST know this! What types of ovarian cysts can you “wait out” as opposed to immediate treatment?  Which ovarian “cysts” really do need surgery?

After laying out the basics, Dr. Vasilev covers everything you need to know from natural treatments that are more likely to work, through mainstream approaches that may be needed, including  pain control tips.  If you would like to learn more about what really works we encourage you to View the complimentary introductory  set of video reports HERE.

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The causes of ovarian cysts are numerous. Every month during a typical menstrual cycle, the ovaries produce follicles which resemble cysts in structure. The follicles produce the estrogen and progesterone hormones that may be necessary during pregnancy. Common causes of ovarian cysts occurs when a follicle keeps growing beyond its normal time period and becomes an cyst.
Follicular cysts are the most common type of cysts that develop. They are usually harmless and there are few if any symptoms. They will normally disappear just as they appeared on their own. Normal causes of ovarian cysts affecting the follicles take place when the pituitary gland releases hormones to trigger the release of an egg which in fact does not occur. Rather, the follicle continues to grow and develop into a cyst.
Some normal causes of ovarian cyst can be attributed to when the luteinizing hormone surges and an egg is released. Upon the release of the egg, the ruptured follicle produces estrogen and progesterone in order to prepare for possible conception. At this point, the follicle is now called the corpus luteum. What happens next is that the egg seals off and fluid accumulates inside the follicle causing the corpus luteum to expand and become a cyst.
A corpus luteum cyst will typically disappear on its own without any treatment, although it could grow to 4 inches in diameter during just a period of a few weeks. It could also bleed internally or twist an ovary. If the corpus luteum cyst ruptures this can cause internal bleeding in addition to sudden sharp or severe pain.
The drug clomiphene citrate is a fertility drug that works to induce ovulation, and might in itself, be among the causes of ovarian cysts. Clomiphene citrate is in fact known to increase the risk of developing a corpus luteum cyst (which does not prevent or threaten pregnancy), and therefore probably causes other cysts as well.
Some cysts, such as hemorrhagic or endometrioid cysts develop like other cysts but are classified as such because they contain blood. This blood can result from injury or from the leakage of blood vessels into the egg sac. Causes of ovarian cysts forming in the endometrial tissue include bleeding and sloughing off of endometrial tissue that transplants itself in the ovaries. Blood eventually builds up, rupturing and causing pelvic pain.
As the secretion of hormones that are a natural function of the body can often be the cause of ovarian cysts, it is impossible to completely prevent the ovarian cysts from developing. With this said, you can minimize the chances of problems developing by getting more exercise, decreasing stress, eating healthy food options, and making an effort to improve your general health.

By: Rebecca Wincup

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Learn more about common signs and ovarian cyst symptom, including effective remedies for ovarian cysts using a holistic 3 step plan.

Get more information about rupturing ovarian cysts here and stop suffering.

If a cyst ruptures you will immediately feel an intense sharp pain in the lower abdominal area. Other symptoms can include:

• bloating
• distended and tender abdomen
• anemia
• pallor
• fever
• nausea or vomiting
• weakness
• dizziness
• fainting
• excessively high or low blood pressure

The treatment of a ruptured ovarian cyst will depend on the severity of your condition. If you experience anemia or pallor it could be a sign of blood loss and that you are bleeding internally. If this is the case, surgery will be required to stop the blood flow and to remove blood from the abdominal cavity. Your doctor will run tests to see if surgery is required. If this is not an emergency situation you will most likely be given an antibiotic to help with infection and pain medication. You will also be required to have a follow up visit with your doctor to ensure that there are no more problems.

Other threatening complications due to the rupture of an ovarian cyst can include:

• twisting of the ovary
• leakage of cystic fluid into the abdominal cavity that can cause sepsis
• peritonitis (inflammation of the mucous membrane that lines the abdominal cavity and organs)
• adhesion’s or scarring of the ovaries

These critical conditions do not normally occur, but if they do and are not treated as quickly as possible, they can become very dangerous. If you suspect that you have had an ovarian cyst rupture, it is very important that you seek medical attention as soon as possible. Most of the time serious complications can be avoided with immediate action.

Get more information about rupturing ovarian cysts here and stop suffering.