In general, if you have weight loss, unexplained weight loss is always a problem and should be seen by a doctor. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s ovarian cancer. But a benign cyst, a functional cyst, any of these cysts that we talk about except for cancerous cysts which are rare, will not be associated with weight loss. Obviously, if we have pain or anxiety about a tumor or cyst, that is often the cause of weight loss. As for weight gain, the weight gain is not due to a cyst. However, in the case of polycystic ovary it is a condition that is related. The cyst does not cause obesity but they seem to be related. And the reason for polycystic ovarian disease is unknown. It’s multifactorial, but again, one of the treatments I mentioned was trying to get the patient to lose weight, and it often helps with the other symptoms.
Many women have been sending questions to OB Christopher Freville regarding their nutrition and can eating certain types of foods or avoiding other types of foods have any effect on cysts inside their ovaries?
Let’s talk about nutrition and maybe we should mention certain types of medications and which medications might have an effect.
First of all, as for, let’s talk about the food. Will nutrition help? Nutrition is always good. Anyone who says that good nutrition is not going to help the body is wrong. However, good nutrition per se will not resolve a cyst; it will not prevent a cyst. Most of these cysts cannot be prevented because they are functional or are the types of tumors or conditions that we have talked about and have nothing to do with diet. The only condition that could help would be polycystic ovary which is associated with diabetes and obesity, and with proper nutrition, proper diet, it would eliminate obesity, decrease the tendency to diabetes and therefore hopefully the other symptoms may resolve as well. That would be the only case, I say nutrition –
Now there are, and I’ll mention one thing because you kindly provided me with a list of questions that you’ve received from various people. And one, some healthy food, and this is interesting. I call it healthy eating; we will call it health pills. One was Noni-Tahitian. Noni-Tahitian is the Indian mulberry plant. It grows in the South Pacific, and like many natural foods, there are many claims surrounding all of these. In fact, Noni-Tahitian, this is just one example. A company called Morinda, Inc. was quite well known. It was in 1998. And these can feel like a giant cystic mass, a giant sausage like a soft balloon, but these are benign. But sometimes we have no way of knowing until we get into the time of surgery. However, we can actually visualize it on ultrasound. And most of the time you’re going to go in and relieve that hydrosalpinx.
Tubal pregnancies: This is called ectopic. Occasionally, the pregnancy develops in the tube before it descends, and these conditions are life-threatening. Most of them are not, but in the process the tube can fill with blood and before it ruptures. And this can also show up on ultrasound as a cyst and can feel like a cyst. Most of the time a test will be positive, and when you combine that with the enlarged tube, you have your pregnancy diagnosed and you avoid an emergency.
We have talked about endometriosis, that which can be a cyst. They are rare types of colon tumors, most of these are solid intestinal abscesses, sometimes they can be diverticulosis, diverticulitis. You may have abscesses that can be felt, most of which can be felt, or present as a cyst, and will be painful. Most ovarian cysts themselves will not cause any problems. And there are a couple of other conditions that can be confused with a pelvic tumor. They are not cysts but I am going to mention them; uterine fibroids or uterine fibroids and pelvic kidney. The kidney actually migrates during development. A lot of weird things happen to us. We are lucky that many of us are normal. The pelvic kidney sometimes remains in the pelvis and can feel like a tumor until proper tests are done to identify it as a kidney. Therefore, during the manufacturing process all these things are taken into account. But, the important thing here, is that the cysts themselves, in and of themselves, are not going to be a problem or a life-threatening issue.