Ovarian cysts in women

Most often, cysts in early age in women are not cancerous. Women who are past menopause (ages 50-70) with ovarian cysts have a higher risk of ovarian cancer. At any age, if you think you have a cyst, it's important to tell your doctor.
they are usually found during a routine pelvic exam. During this exam, your doctor is able to feel the swelling of the cyst on your ovary. Once a cyst is found, the doctor may perform an ultrasound, which uses sound waves to create images of the body.
To find out if the cyst might be cancerous, your doctor may do a blood test to measure a substance in the blood called CA-125. The amount of this protein is higher if a woman has ovarian cancer. However, some ovarian cancers do not make enough CA-125 to be detected by the test.

After menopause, the risk of ovarian cancer increases. Surgery to remove an ovarian cyst is usually recommended in this case. Your doctor will probably want to do a biopsy to see if cancer is present.

You may not need any treatment, unless the cyst is very big or causing pain. Sometimes, taking birth control pills will make the cyst smaller. Surgery may be needed if the cyst is causing symptoms or is more than 2 inches across.