Physiologic (Functional) Ovarian Cysts in Reproductive Age Women: Who is at Risk?

Volume : VII, Issue : V, May - 2018

Dr. Ayman Al Talib

Functional or physiologic ovarian cysts are common gynecological problems among women of reproductive age worldwide. Cyst

may discover incidentally during routine gynecologic examination or during ultrsounography. Ultrasound characterization is

currently considered the most accurate method for predicting the histological diagnosis of ovarian tumors. Most of those cysts are

physiological, consisting of either follicular cysts or corpus luteum cysts. Several risk factors have been studied in the literature,

some of these are well understood, while the others are poorly understood. Among those risk factors; cigarette smoking, obesity,

ovulation induction treatment, progesterone–only pills, levonorgestrel intrauterine system, nutrition, diet, tamoxifen, immune

suppressive therapy and tubal sterilization. Surgical intervention is rarely required since most of those cysts resolve spontaneously

with observation alone without any medical treatment. When dealing with women of reproductive age with suspected

physiologic or functional ovarian cyst; patient should be reassured about the nature of those cysts as the majority will resolve

spontaneously.