Can Ovarian Cysts Be Cancerous and Cause Infertility?

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In many cases, having cysts in or on the ovaries (a pair of organs in the uterus of female reproductive system) are not really abnormal, particularly in women who are younger than 40 years of age. But the big questions are: Can ovarian cysts be cancerous? Can they also cause problems associated with a woman’s infertility?

You might also like to read the previous posts about treatment options and symptoms of ovarian cysts, before continuing!

As well we know that ovaries are so crucial for the female reproductive system. They have crucial function to create a monthly ovulation (the release of egg to go to uterus for fertilization) in women of childbearing age. And did you know that in fact there is a chance for tumor to occur in ovaries of a woman. It may only become benign (not cancerous) or then may become malignant (cancerous).

So, can ovarian cysts be cancerous?

The answer is ‘yes they can’! But you need to clearly understand that fortunately not all ovarian cysts will be cancerous (or also more familiar known as ovarian cancer). Even most of these cysts are not cancerous and can go away naturally without treatment.

There are some ovarian cyst types, but functional cysts are the most common type. This type occurs from the process of monthly woman’s menstrual cycle and ovulation. Therefore, it is common in women of childbearing age. In other words, many women of this group have ovarian cysts of some time in their lifetime.

What you should concern to keep safe?

However to keep safe, it’s also important to keep being alert to any unusual symptom of your menstrual cycle. Sometimes these cysts can cause pain or even other serious symptoms. 

And if you seriously concern to your risk of ovarian cancer, doctors usually also recommend taking regular pelvic examinations! This option is very helpful for your physician to keep monitoring any change in the ovaries. Discuss more with your doctor for in-depth information about this issue, particularly about when you should start your regular pelvic examination and how often you should do it!

Who are at high risk of having cancer from ovarian cysts?

Some studies found that the risk of ovarian cysts to be cancerous is relatively high in women who are at older than 40 years of age. 

But in fact after the age of 40, most women who have ovarian cysts are also not diagnosed with ovarian cancer. This suggests that ovarian cancer from ovarian cysts in women older than age 40 is also rare, though it is more common in this group than in women younger than the age of 40.

Moreover, doctors also believe that there are also other conditions or factors that may contribute an increased risk of ovarian cancer. According to a published article on WebMD -- some of these factors may include:

1. Having a personal history /family history of colorectal cancer, breast cancer, or ovarian cancer.
2. Taking certain hormone replacement therapy.
3. Overweight /obesity.
4. Not breastfeeding /not having baby. But some experts believe that the use of birth control pills may help reduce the risk of ovarian cancer.
5. Certain fertility drugs (like Clomid).
6. Bad lifestyles, particularly like cigarette smoking. Read also other side effects of cigarette smoking!

How to diagnose /determine whether or not an ovarian cyst is cancerous?

As mentioned before, regular pelvic examinations are one of the common choices to find an ovarian cyst as earlier as possible. If a cyst is found, your physician then usually recommends further examination and testing to get to know the type of cyst and whether or not your need a treatment.

In general, the size and composition of cysts are usually two crucial issues that must be concerned during the tests of diagnosis. Is the size is still small or large? How about with the composition -- is cyst filled with fluid, or solid, or both (mixed)? Cysts filled with fluid may be less likely to become cancerous, and others filled with solid or mixed may be more likely to become cancerous.

CA-125 blood test is one of common procedures to help doctors identify whether or not ovarian cysts are cancerous. But an abnormal result of this test doesn’t always confirm that an ovarian cyst is cancerous. Further tests after CA-125 blood test is usually still required to confirm and find a clearly diagnosis.

Furthermore -- a pregnancy test, pelvic ultrasound, and laparoscopy are usually also used by doctors to make a diagnosis of ovarian cysts.

The next question: Can ovarian cysts cause infertility problem?

Yes, there is a chance for ovarian cysts to cause a decreased fertility - but again not all types cause this problem.

The following are some types of ovarian cysts that usually will not affect your fertility:

1. Dermoid! It is a kind of cyst that usually contains tissue (like hair, teeth, skin) instead of fluid.
2. Cystadenomas! This type usually arises from the ovary’s surface. It may need treatment, but usually doesn't affect the level of your fertility.
3. Functional cyst! As written before, it is the most common type and usually doesn’t need treatment /will go away naturally. 

And some types that may affect fertility include:

1. Ovarian cysts that occur from /due to polycystic ovaries. PCOS (it stands for ‘Polycystic Ovary Syndrome’) is a condition characterized by a lot of small cysts in the ovaries, certain hormones at high levels, and irregular menstrual cycles. In some women, PCOS may contribute to cause an increased fertility.
2. Endometriomas! As the name implies, this type usually occur from endometriosis - therefore it is more common in women with endometriosis. Many doctors believe that endometriomas can cause a detrimental effect on the level of fertility.

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Reference: MayoClinic and WebMD