In two minds about surgery, please help x

[ChloeL934]

Hi all,

So this may be a long one lol!

Myself and my husband have been trying for a baby for 3 years now, I’ve got a small cyst on the left ovary under 2cm and on the right one just under 5cm, husband has sperm count of around 12 million and morphology 1%. I don’t really experience much pain, but last 2 months when I have my period have a few days where pain is quite bad, nothing that can’t be managed with heat pad and medication, now my dilemma is:

My consultant said it would be a good idea for surgery before proceeding to IVF. she said she will remove the cyst and check my tubes again, last time I had my tubes checked with the dye & Xray and they were fine, I said ok to the surgery as I thought I wanted to give myself the best chance possible for IVF now my issue is;

Am I going to make things worse as I’m not in pain everyday?

What if the cyst grows back quick and gets bigger than 5cm as for the past 3 years it’s never grown over 5cm and it grows back before I get the referral for IVF and need further surgery? After having one surgery am I liking to keep needing more?

Then I don’t just want to leave things because I don’t know how bad things actually are as these cysts have only been diagnosed on a tv scan.

Will having the cyst removed before IVF even make a difference and benefit me in anyway?

Sorry for the long post and all the questions but I wanted some personal thoughts and experiences before I even proceed with the surgery I am going to get onto my hospital to see if I can get a telephone appointment with my fertility doctor to discuss my concerns, I don’t want to have surgery unless I’m 100% sure it’s the right thing for me.

Thank you all xx

[destiny121]

Hi there... I had a cyst when going through ivf and they didn’t request suregert to have it removed. It was like 6cm or something we still went ahead and fortunately was successful in treatment... good luck with what you decide... I know it’s tough but do what you think is best and don’t feel pressured into anything xx

[ChloeL934 in reply to destiny121]

Thank you for replying, where your cyst endometromia ? As that’s what mine are... do you have endometriosis? And was our hospital and IVF through NHS? Xx

[destiny121 in reply to ChloeL934]

Ohh no mine wasn’t endo related. I had fluid in my tubes- reason for infertility and some adhesions. We used the nhs for our treatment. Just read your post again and can see that you have 2 cysts so maybe that’s why you may need the surgery and also have the endo too. What I will say is that if you trust your consultant then I would take their advice or maybe get a second opinion just to be sure. Xxx

[ChloeL934 in reply to destiny121]

Thank you 🙏🏼 xx

[Lucylu_88]

Hi Chloe, I had 2 chocolate cysts removed (endometriomas) in 2017 but I don't have endometriosis. My icsi treatment was successful. I don't know if I now have any cysts now, I didn't know last time until they scanned me.

Hope you can come to a decision you feel confident and happy about.

Best wishes!xx

[ChloeL934 in reply to Lucylu_88]

Hey,

This is interesting, I didn’t know you could have chocolate cysts without having endometriosis, I’ve never had surgery so I don’t know the extent or where it is, only that I have the chocolate cysts on my ovaries. I also didn’t know I had the scans until I experienced some pain and went for a scan. Thank you for sharing your experience xx

[Kaylon]

Hi Chloe, I'm not sure if your cysts are in your ovaries or elsewhere but I had 2 chocolate cysts previously and my Dr said under no circumstances touch those cysts as any cutting on the ovaries could severely diminish ovarian reserve further. Instead I did castor oil packs on my abdomen for several months and the cysts disappeared by themselves! It's really easy, a little bit time consuming and messy but had a great outcome and totally non-invasive and holistic x

[Hidden in reply to Kaylon]

Oh! I want to try this!

[ChloeL934 in reply to Kaylon]

Hey,

Yeah they are chocolate cysts on my ovary, please could I have some more information about the castor oil packs would you be able to private message me please xx

[ChloeL934]

Thanks so much for your offer but we are currently under NHS we can’t afford to go private at the moment although we are saving xx

[Hidden]

Hi Chloe. My cysts come and go so i never had the offer to surgically remove them. A friend of mine going through infertility also had cysts and nhs never suggested removing them but then she had a second opinion abroad and they recommended removing the cyst. How many rounds do you have on nhs? Perhaps you can proceed without surgery if your clinic is fine with it xx

[ChloeL934 in reply to Hidden]

Hey,

We only have one round on the NHS and at the moment can not afford to go private, although we are saving it’s likely to take some time so I want to give myself the best chance and don’t want to regret anything later it’s so hard, we haven’t even been transferred to the IVF yet as it’s a different hospital as my local one doesn’t do IVF x

[Hidden in reply to ChloeL934]

Oke whiles you are waiting try to be more active and try the castor oil pack as the girls suggested here. Hopefully they go away by their selves which happend for many xx

[Shannon1400]

I have severe cysts on both ovaries and didnt have to have surgery. I also conceived naturally between egg collection and transfer so I wouldn't stress about it. I was told that cysts will most likely come back if you are prone to them. Wish you the best of luck x

[Same0508]

Hi... I'm not aware of cysts but if doctor says surgery mandatory then only go for it... You may be active that's y the cyst is growing slowly.. But remember once you fall pregnant you can't do regular activities until delivery and also u gain weight which in turn also might increase cyst size... So rather than going into emergency when you are pregnant, it's better to clear that cyst before you fall pregnant.... Always speak to your doctor n remember ur consent is very important for them before a surgery.... If that cyst removing helps in healthy n risk free pregnancy then I would recommend go for it... Gud luck

[franathy]

Can you get the cysts drained instead? Removing the cyst can really negatively impact your egg reserve. I had a cyst removed from my left ovary in 2017, but it grew back and I had it drained last year prior to starting IVF. Unfortunately that ovary turned out to be damaged from the initial surgery resulting in 0 eggs from that ovary (luckily got 13 from the other side). If I had known I would definitely have opted to have the cyst drained rather than removed first time round. x

[ChloeL934 in reply to franathy]

Thank you,

I’m calling the secretary back when she’s back on 3rd August, so I’ve just put that on my list to ask xx

[ChloeL934 in reply to franathy]

I’ve just checked my paperwork as I signed it all in March, was suppose to have surgery on 8th May and she made me sign the paperwork there and it says laparoscopy + dye test + ovarian Cystectomy + cyst drainage so unsure of how it’s being removed? Xx

[franathy in reply to ChloeL934]

Ah right, maybe they have allowed for both options? Best to just ask them I guess! Best of luck! X

[Marylyn]

You could be suffering from a vitamin B12 deficiency which causes infertility,PCOS ,endometriosis,miscarriages,foetal abnormalities,haemorrhages,blood clots ,high blood pressure.& recurrent anaemia.I think your mans sperm count is down .If you could be both tested for active vitamin b12 as serum is flawed ,folate,vitamin D ,iron levels .I have taught fertility awareness for 48 yrs & it wasn’t till I was diagnosed with a vit b12 Deficiency that I began to research.I also attend Australia’s Fertility Conference each year .A male with a sperm count below 20 mill.can raise it to 100 mil with supplementing methyl B12 supplements.As a practising midwife I am not sure about surgery Depending on how much discomfort you have. .My daughter in-law has had a dermoid cyst through 2 pregnancies.You will find your Drs especially IVF which you may not require if you are both deficient will not know what you are talking about as they are not trained in nutrition.I saw 17 Drs including 7 specialists to achieve a diagnosis for my 30 annoying symptons .Good luck & I hope you achieve on your own as my client did after trying for 4 yrs.