Comedian and YouTuber Lilly Singh revealed that she has been diagnosed with cysts in both of her ovaries. While sharing a video on Instagram from the hospital, in which she is seen lying on the bed, wearing a facemask, she wrote, “Spent the last day in the ER because my ovaries have the AUDACITY to be wilding out. Both of them have cysts. And I’m just out here like REALLY B?!” She added, “No but actually. It hurts and I’m tired lol but I truly expect nothing less than my organs doing the most. After all, I am their mother”.
Unfortunately, around 7 per cent of women across the globe have an ovarian cyst at some point in their lives. Shockingly, in Europe, a large screening trial reflected a 21.2 per cent incidence of ovarian cysts among healthy postmenopausal females. And in the United States, this data stands at 18 per cent.
Wondering what an ovarian cyst is?
It is a fluid-filled sac in or on an ovary, which is a part of the female reproductive system, and produces eggs and hormones. Mostly, this cyst occurs during the reproductive years but can appear at any age.
Thinking why bother? This is an important piece of information because the majority of ovarian cysts are non-cancerous i.e. benign, but some are cancerous i.e. malignant, or may become cancerous over time. And ovarian cancer ranks fifth in cancer fatalities among females, resulting in more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. Not just this, but a woman’s chance of contracting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is around 1 in 78.
Health experts claim that cysts that have ruptured can cause serious symptoms. They further suggest that to protect your health, get regular pelvic exams and know the symptoms that can lead to a potentially serious problem. So let’s take a look at the symptoms.
- Pelvic pain
- Abdominal swelling
- Pain while passing stool
- Dull ache in lower back and thigh
- Changes in the menstrual cycle
- Unusual vaginal bleeding
- Abdominal bloating
- Breast Tenderness
- Unexpected weight gain
- Always feeling full
- Changes in the eating habits
- Feeling pressure in bowels
- Pain in the pelvic area or abdomen during sex
- Frequent bowel movement
- Pain just before menstruation begins or ends.
- Issues while emptying the bladder fully
- Frequent urination
Your risk of developing an ovarian cyst is heightened due to certain factors. Let’s take a look at the most common cause of ovarian cyst:
- Hormonal problems
- Pregnancy
- Endometriosis
- Polycystic ovary syndrome
- Severe pelvic infection
- Previous ovarian cyst
