Most women develop numerous ovarian cysts during their reproductive years, and they’re none the wiser as the sacs come and go without incident. For the 8% of premenopausal women who develop large or symptomatic cysts, treatment is called for, and one of the first stops is often hormonal medications.
When it comes to treating ovarian cysts, Dr. Ulas Bozdogan and our team at Advanced Endometriosis Center recommend hormonal medications in certain cases, though this approach has its limits and doesn’t address all ovarian cysts.
Here, we look at when hormone medications are a good solution for ovarian cysts and the pros and cons of this treatment.
The majority of ovarian cysts are a perfectly normal part of menstruation, and they’re called functional cysts. These sacs form if an egg doesn't release properly or a cyst might form after release if the sac recloses and fills with fluids.
In most cases, functional cysts resolve on their own, and you’re likely never aware of them. However, if you’re reading this, we’re going to assume you’ve developed symptomatic ovarian cysts. These typically include:
The first order of business is figuring out which type of ovarian cysts you’re dealing with, which will dictate your treatment to a great extent.
If your symptomatic ovarian cysts are related to ovulation, there’s a good chance we can use hormonal medications to manage them. When we say hormonal medications, we’re usually referring to the birth control pill, which controls ovulation.
The pros of using hormonal medications for ovarian cysts include:
The cons of using hormone medications to treat ovarian cysts include:
Again, these medications really only work if we’re addressing cysts that are tied to ovulation and/or hormone issues, such as symptomatic functional cysts, PCOS, and chocolate cysts that form due to endometriosis.
As a frontline treatment, hormone medications are certainly a good step and might be all it takes to remedy your problem. If, however, the medications don’t resolve your symptoms, or they get worse, we’ll need to explore other treatment avenues.
In this case, you’re still in excellent hands with Dr. Bozdogan who has considerable surgical experience in removing problematic cysts using advanced minimally invasive and robotic technologies.
The best way to figure out which treatment is best for your ovarian cysts is to schedule a consultation with Dr. Bozdogan today online or over the phone. We have offices in New York City and Paramus, New Jersey.
