Hello and welcome to the Zero to Finals podcast. My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be going through Ovarian Sists.

And you can find written notes on this topic at zero definals.com slash ovarian cysts or in the

gynecology section of the Zero to Finfinals, Obs and Guine book.

So let's get straight into it.

A cyst is a fluid-filled sac.

Functional ovarian cysts relate to the fluctuating hormones of the menstrual cycle

and are very common in pre-menopausal women.

The vast majority of ovarian cysts in premenopausal women are benign.

Cists in postmenopausal women are more concerning for malignancy and need further investigation.

Patients with multiple ovarian cysts or a string of pearls appearance to the ovaries cannot be diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome

unless they also have other features of the condition. The diagnosis of polycystic ovarian syndrome

requires at least two of the three criteria, which are anovulation, hyperandrogenism, and polycystic ovaries on the ultrasound.

Only having one of these criteria is not sufficient for a diagnosis.

Let's talk about the presentation of ovarian cysts.

Most ovarian cysts are asymptomatic.

Sists are often found incidentally on a pelvic ultrasound scan

for another reason. Occasionally, ovarian cysts can cause non-specific symptoms of pelvic pain,

bloating, fullness in the abdomen, or a palpable pelvic mass, particularly with very large cysts such as muconous

cyst adenomas. Ovarian cyst may present with acute pelvic pain if there is ovarian torsion,

hemorrhage or rupture of the cyst. Let's start by talking about functional cysts. Follicular cysts represent the

development of a follicle. When these follicles fail to rupture and release the egg, the cysts can

stay around for longer. Follicular cysts are the most common type of ovarian cyst and they're

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