Library · Lesion
Ovarian cyst
Make it clearer
Picture a tiny water balloon: a little closed pouch with fluid inside, tucked into an ovary or attached to its surface. That's an ovarian cyst. The ovaries are part of the female reproductive system. They're where eggs, a woman's reproductive cells, are made, and they also produce female hormones.
This little balloon most often shows up during ovulation, the moment the ovary lets go of an egg. And usually that's the whole story: it does no harm and goes away by itself.
Most of the time it's tiny and causes no trouble, so a woman can have one and not know it until it turns up during a pelvic exam, a checkup of the organs in the pelvis, the lower part of the belly between the hips. When a cyst does make itself felt, it can hurt low in the belly, right on the side where it sits.
In brief
An ovarian cyst is a fluid-filled sac in or on an ovary. The ovaries are part of the female reproductive system: they produce eggs and make female hormones.
Ovarian cysts typically form during ovulation, when the ovary releases an egg, and are usually harmless and go away on their own.
Most are small and cause no symptoms, and they may go unnoticed until a pelvic exam. When symptoms do occur, they can include pain in the lower abdomen on the side where the cyst is.
Sources (1)
- MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine (NIH)Ovarian Cysts, MedlinePlus Health TopicsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated