Medical expert of the article
New publications
Causes of ovarian cysts
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
To understand the causes of ovarian cysts, you first need to know more about this disease. Ovarian cysts occur quite often. In this case, they can be found both in women who have reached puberty, and in young girls during puberty. Ovarian cysts are found in women who have reached the age of the onset of menopause.
Causes of an ovarian cyst can not always be established reliably. Scientists believe that the formation of cysts can contribute to the hormonal difference in the body of a woman. Injury of the abdominal region can also cause the formation of cysts. There are several types of ovarian cysts. In their majority, all these cysts are benign and do not carry a threat to the life or reproductive health of a woman. But nevertheless there is a probability of a regeneration of a cyst in a malignant formation, that is in a cancer.
Therefore, it is so important to know about this disease, to understand its causes and to undergo the examination and diagnostics in time to avoid subsequent possible complications.
Causes of dermoid ovarian cyst
The causes of dermoid ovarian cysts are not always possible to determine. The dermoid cyst differs from other similar tumor formations on the ovaries. In particular, its difference is in the composition of the cyst itself. Some cysts can consist of one fluid inside, but the dermoid cyst consists of different embryonic tissues.
It can include skin, fat cells, hair, bones and even teeth. There have been cases when such a cyst was removed, opened and found inside bone tissue, eye or tooth. This cyst can reach quite large sizes, and this is another difference from other cysts of the ovaries.
The dermoid cyst can reach up to 15 centimeters in diameter. This size can not go unnoticed and, as a rule, causes various pain symptoms in the lower abdomen or back.
As already mentioned, the causes of the ovarian cyst are not exactly established, but the category of women most prone to the development of such formations is known. As a rule, such cysts are formed on the ovaries of young and even young women during puberty and active hormonal rearrangements. So, we can assume that hormonal "shakes" contribute to the development of such cysts.
What do you need to know about the ovarian dermoid cyst? Usually, such a cyst grows rather slowly. But its growth does not stop. First, the patient may not notice any signs of development of the cyst. If the cyst reaches a large size, it can cause acute pain and can be diagnosed with palpation and other methods.
Causes of left ovarian cyst
The causes of ovarian cysts can be varied. In the body of every woman there are two ovaries, since these are paired organs. Cysts are different in nature and composition. Some cysts are formed only on one of the two ovaries, such as functional cysts. Other types of cysts can be formed immediately on two ovaries.
The causes of the cyst of the left ovary, as, indeed, the right ovary, can be different. Hormonal changes are one of the possible causes. Therefore, an increased risk of these benign tumors is observed in women during puberty or menopause.
Causes of ovarian cysts can also be covered in heredity. So some scientists believe, and suggest that an increased tendency to the formation of cysts can be inherent in a woman genetically.
[6]
Causes of right ovarian cyst
As already mentioned, the causes of the ovarian cyst, both right and left, are different. One of them is a big load on the body. They mean increased physical activity and severe fatigue, body wear, insufficient rest and replenishment of body resources.
Also, the reason may be increased moral load, namely, stress, anxiety, decline in spirit and constant experiences. After all, our soul and body are closely connected and intertwined. Therefore, the causes of the cyst of the right ovary can be psychosomatic, and not only purely physiological.
Causes of follicular ovarian cyst
It is important to know the causes of ovarian cysts, especially the causes of the follicular ovarian cyst. Such cysts are also called functional cysts. In more than thirty percent of cases of diseases and the occurrence of ovarian cysts, this type of cyst is being detected.
To establish the cause of the occurrence of the follicular ovarian cyst is not so difficult. Basically, it occurs when the follicle, that is, the capsule with the maturing egg, is not torn and ovulation does not occur. Instead, the grown follicle reaches a rather large size, it is covered with a protective shell and the follicular ovarian cyst is formed.
Such cysts are most often diagnosed in sexually mature women capable of giving birth. Therefore, a large number of women are at risk and it is important to know the causes of the ovarian cyst in order to conduct a timely survey and identify the cause of the anxiety.
Causes of Functional Ovarian Cysts
The follicular ovarian cyst described above is one of two types of functional cysts that form on this organ. The second kind of functional ovarian cyst is a yellow body cyst. As a rule, the first kind of functional cyst is much more common than the second.
So, what are the causes of ovarian cysts, including functional ones? A cyst is formed when a malfunction occurs in the natural processes taking place in the body of a woman. For example, a yellow body cyst is formed if it is not completely eliminated on time. This body should disappear after the release of the egg from the follicle, and after the onset of menstruation. If this does not happen, then the yellow body becomes enveloped and a cyst is formed.
Most often, the causes of ovarian cysts lie in hormonal failure. But they can also be caused by other factors. For example, infection of the genitals. As a rule, functional cysts are benign and do not often degenerate into malignant formations.
Causes of ovarian cyst
The cyst of the ovarian's yellow body is the so-called functional cyst. As a rule, these cysts do not reach a large size. Usually, they grow no more than 5 centimeters. They can develop on both the right and left ovary.
The causes of ovarian cysts may be different. Speaking about functional cysts, scientists suggest that a decrease in childbearing leads to the formation of such cysts. In our time, women do not want to have more than two or three children. Then, as before, they on average gave birth to five, and even more times for life.
Fewer pregnancies inevitably lead to an increase in the number of menstruation in a woman's life. This is also the absence of a lactation period or a short breast-feeding period. Therefore, the number of menstrual cycles increases dramatically. This leads to a greater strain on the ovaries and to their rapid wear. So, short lactation and restriction of genital function are possible causes of ovarian cyst.
[9]
Causes of the endometrial ovarian cyst
This ovarian cyst can be quite large in size. Its localization is inside the ovary or on its shell from the outside. This cyst differs from other ovarian cysts in its contents. It is a brown, dense liquid, reminiscent of the color and consistency of chocolate. Therefore, this cyst is also called "chocolate".
Causes of an ovarian cyst of this category vary. Some scientists believe that the formation of such a cyst can be due to both physiological and psychological processes. Stress and heavy loads can provoke the formation of a similar cyst.
There is still a debate about the cause of ovarian cysts, but most doctors agree in one thing - the occurrence of this disease is directly related to hormonal failures in the body of a woman.
Causes of rupture of ovarian cysts
Any cyst, regardless of the cause of the ovarian cyst or its type, is surrounded by a membrane of cells. This membrane can be thin, as in functional cysts, or more dense, as in a dermoid cyst. The rupture of the ovarian cyst is called apoplexy. Causes of rupture of the ovarian cyst may be different.
Some of them refer to the processes that take place inside the body of a woman. For example, the causes of rupture of the ovarian cyst may be covered in the inflammatory process in the ovary. Such a process can make the cyst shell thinner, which will lead to its rupture. Another reason is a hormonal imbalance or a malfunction in a woman's body.
But the causes of rupture of the ovarian cyst may be external. Among them, trauma to the abdomen, active and slightly traumatic sex or physical overload, as well as lifting weights.
Causes of serous ovarian cyst
Occurrence and causes of ovarian cysts, and in particular serous cysts, may include factors such as gynecological diseases or abortion, stress, exercise stress, malnutrition or trauma during gynecological examination and treatment.
Serous cyst differs from other types of ovarian cysts in that its walls are not stretching. They are firm and not elastic. Inside such a cyst, fluid accumulates. The causes of ovarian cysts can be either in prolonged sexual abstinence, or in promiscuous sexual lifestyles, frequent partner changes or in sexually transmitted infections.
[13]
Causes of Parovarian Ovarian Cysts
The parovarial cyst differs sharply from other types of ovarian cysts by nature. Its first difference is that the walls of such cysts do not stretch, but grow with it. The causes of parovarial ovarian cysts are clear. It is formed when the pathology of embryo development occurs.
Another difference of this cyst from other cysts is that it can not dissolve by itself, as is often the case with functional or other types of cysts. Also, this cyst never degenerates into a malignant formation.
As a rule, it has a clear localization and is formed between the ovary and the tube. Its growth and size is difficult to predict. Knowing the causes of ovarian cysts, you can predict the age of the women most prone to its occurrence. As a rule, these are sexually mature women of childbearing age.