Chocolate cysts, which are among the most common health problems in women's reproductive systems, are usually caused by hereditary factors and manifest themselves with severe pain. The inside of the uterus in women is prepared to host pregnancy every month and is covered with a special layer of cells that are shed when pregnancy does not occur. When this tissue layer, called the endometrium, settles outside the uterus, endometriosis occurs. In the event of progression of this disease, structures called chocolate cysts form in women. If chocolate cysts are not treated, they can cause more serious problems in women.
It is not known exactly why chocolate cysts, which are a reproductive period problem, occur. Endometrial cells that settle outside the uterus exhibit their typical behaviors here. Depending on the areas they settle, they cause adhesions between organs.
How to recognize chocolate cyst?
Chocolate cysts most clearly manifest themselves with pain. These pains can be in the form of pain during menstruation, during sexual intercourse, in the pelvic area, and can also have effects such as not being able to conceive. These symptoms can be seen alone or together. In some women, no symptoms may occur. In these people, the diagnosis of chocolate cysts can be determined during another gynecological examination. Inflammatory reactions can occur when the uterine tissues settle in other places and show their actions in the uterus. These reactions can be the cause of severe pain during menstruation.
What happens if a chocolate cyst is not treated?
The residues formed due to bleeding caused by endometrial cells outside the uterus stick to the surrounding organs and tissues and disrupt their anatomical structure, causing various dysfunctions. Adhesions can cause pain during sexual intercourse, chronic pelvic pain, and low back and waist pain in women. Adhesions formed by residues due to bleeding can cause blockage in the tubes or loss of function of the hairs at the end of the fallopian tubes.
When these effects occur, the egg cannot pass into the fallopian tube or the egg cell cannot move into the fallopian tube and can get stuck in the tubes. If the egg cell released from the ovaries cannot move into the fallopian tubes, this can cause infertility, and if the egg cannot move into the fallopian tube and remains in one place, an ectopic pregnancy can occur. If there are chocolate cysts in the fallopian tubes of a woman, the risk of ectopic pregnancy in the woman is 6 times higher.
If chocolate cysts are not treated, chocolate cysts in the ovaries can disrupt the functions of the ovaries and negatively affect the woman's egg reserve. If the chocolate cyst cannot be completely cleaned from the ovaries, ovary removal may be considered. Birth control pills or other medications can be used to treat chocolate cysts that are less than 3 cm in size. Since treatment with medications suppresses estrogen and progesterone hormones in women, bleeding in chocolate cysts is prevented and cysts and other lesions regress. However, it is not possible to achieve a permanent solution with medication.
Because chocolate cysts cause such negative effects, experts recommend that they be treated. If they are not treated, there will be continued bleeding every month. It should not be forgotten that chocolate cysts are a progressive disease.
Untreated chocolate cysts are one of the most important causes of infertility in women. They prevent women from having children. Moreover, since there is a risk of spreading to other parts of the body, even the ovaries cannot be saved due to the damage that the chocolate cyst will cause in the future.
The best way to treat chocolate cyst
The best way to treat these structures is to surgically clean the cysts and eliminate the adhesions in the body. Chocolate cysts treated in this way always have the possibility of recurrence. Therefore, even if chocolate cysts are treated surgically, it is recommended that women be monitored at routine intervals in case of recurrence.
The treatment method to be used in chocolate cysts is determined specifically for each patient. Criteria such as the patient's complaints, whether or not they want to have another pregnancy, and their age affect the treatment option.
Chocolate cyst may be the reason for ovarian removal
Chocolate cyst, which is effective in women of reproductive age, usually affects one ovary. However, rarely, both ovaries can be affected. Problems such as dysfunction, loss of healthy tissue, and negative effects on egg reserve may occur in the ovary or ovaries affected by the cyst. This is a factor that causes infertility in women. Chocolate cyst affects follicle formation and causes hormonal irregularities that will affect the woman's reproductive system.
The areas where chocolate cysts are most commonly located are the ovaries. Interruption of the process here has a negative effect on the woman's fertility. The development of the embryo in the reproductive system is affected, and the implantation of the pregnancy in the uterus is prevented. Since the woman's immune system is affected by these developments, her uterus does not accept the egg. The reasons for this are the chemicals secreted from the chocolate cyst. The effect of these can even prevent the sperm from entering the egg. Although this cycle and developments cannot be fully explained, ovulation in the woman is disrupted, causing the woman to fall into the effect of infertility. In this respect, when chocolate cysts are diagnosed, a treatment plan should be made.
In infertility in women, 20-40% of patients are diagnosed with chocolate cysts. Especially in advanced cysts, a problem that prevents the woman from getting pregnant occurs. In addition, if the cysts are not treated, the disease foci may spread.
If chocolate cysts are removed laparoscopically under suitable conditions, that is, if the cysts are completely removed from the ovaries, it is possible for women with infertility to become pregnant within a year. This is the period when the woman has the highest probability of becoming pregnant after treatment. If this does not happen, women should try to get pregnant with assisted reproduction methods. Patients should be given a follow-up program, especially because of the risk of recurrence.
If chocolate cysts are not treated, they will show their progressive characteristics. Especially in patient groups where they do not show any symptoms, they will cause serious problems. For this reason, it is very important for women who want to have a baby and care about their health to have routine gynecological examinations. In addition, if a chocolate cyst is diagnosed, its treatment should not be neglected. In advanced stages, it can cause the woman to have an ectopic pregnancy, to be affected by infertility, and even to have her ovaries removed.
Is it possible to prevent chocolate cyst?
Chocolate cysts are a disease of women of reproductive age. Today, there is still no definitive information about why chocolate cysts occur. However, if there are certain factors that can trigger and develop this disease, which is so common that it affects one in every 10 women, precautions can be taken against them and early intervention can be made. Theories are always used about the formation of cysts. There are some findings that support these theories. However, there are still some unexplained issues. According to the widely accepted view, it is necessary to pay attention to the triggering factors of cysts, which are thought to occur when menstrual blood flows into the abdomen instead of being discharged from the vagina. These include genetic factors and smoking.
There is no method that can provide protection from chocolate cysts. The female reproductive system works with a very delicate sensitivity. There is no determined factor about how this system is disrupted. It is not explained how the endometrium tissue, which is not found anywhere else in the body except inside the uterus, implants in other areas. Since the cause of formation is not known, it cannot be treated permanently. Treatments improve the woman's quality of life and only eliminate the cyst that has formed. There is a possibility that these cysts will form again. In other words, the formation of chocolate cysts cannot be prevented.
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