About the disease
Benign tumors of the ovaries develop in ovaries, which are two small organs located on both sides of the female uterus. They are responsible for producing estrogen hormone, that triggers menstruation every month. Ovaries also release an egg, which then can be fertilized resulting in pregnancy. This process is also known as ovulation.
Benign tumors of the ovaries are much more common than malignant ones. There are three types of them:
- Epithelial cell tumors
- Stromal tumors
- Germ cell tumors
They all originate in different locations. Epithelial cell tumors develop on the surface of the ovaries. They account for 60% of all ovarian tumors. 5% of them can be malignant and around 25% - bilateral, which means that they can develop in both ovaries. Stromal tumors start to grow in the cells, which produce estrogen and germ cell tumors in the cells, which produce an egg.
Such tumors can be caused by menopause, obesity, no previous pregnancies, ovarian or breast cancers.
Symptoms
Even though in most cases this disease does not cause any painful sensations and is most often diagnosed during the usual check-up, it can sometimes bring quite a painful condition. Women should be extra careful about the following symptoms, as they resemble symptoms of ovarian cancer.
- Painful menstruation
- Pain in the abdomen, which can be intensified during sexual intercourse
- Difficulty urinating
- Frequent urination
- Weight gain, even though a patient can experience loss of appetite
Diagnosis
- During the usual check-up a gynecologist can detect a lump in the ovaries, which can be a benign tumor.
- Ultrasound is the most common diagnostic tool in this case, as it creates images of the ovaries and help doctor see if there are any strange formations. It also determines size and location of these formations.
- Hormonal tests can give information about the estrogen hormone in women`s body and are especially helpful in diagnosing stromal tumor.
- MRI and CT scan also produce images of ovaries and they can determine if tumors spread further.
Treatment
You may need to undergo surgery, if benign tumor does not go away over time and, on contrary, continues to grow and spread further. Surgery is also needed if you experience pain and have dysfunctional menstrual cycle.
There are two types of surgeries, which doctor may recommend you.
- Laparoscopy is used if the tumor is not very big and can be reached through a small incision by a special instrument, which is inserted into abdomen. It is more commonly used in cysts treatment.
- Laparotomy creates a bigger incision and it can remove more progressed tumors. This surgery is also used if tumor spread further.
In general, benign tumors of the ovaries rarely present any serious danger and after surgery they are not likely to become recurrent if you lead healthy lifestyle and have regular check-up with your gynecologist.
Authors: Dr. Vadim Zhiliuk, Dr. Sergey Pashchenko
