As we have discussed on this site, most ovarian cysts are small and disappear in around 2 months without the woman even feeling any symptoms or knowing they existed. Unfortunately there can be complications such as the cyst growing large and putting pressure on other organs; they can cause something known as torsion if they grown on a stem of the ovary and twist the stem; and they can rupture causing severe and sudden pain in the lower abdomen. In this secion we look at the issues surrounding a ruptured ovarian cyst. 

Symptoms

Identifying that you have a ruptured ovarian cyst can sometimes be quite difficult since many of the symptoms are similar to having a cyst that is not ruptured. The following is a list of the most common ovarian cyst rupture symptoms:

• Additional menstrual pain, particularly before and after they cycle.
• Menstrual cycles may have irregular timing and lengths than normal.
• Heavier bleeding than normal
• Sharp, piercing lower abdominal pain when the cyst ruptures which can be particularly noticeable if there was no pain previously.
• Bloating and abdominal pain as a result of hemorrage.
• Pallor or anemia due to internal bleeding.
• More general symptoms such as dizziness, fainting and weakness which may suggest internal bleeding also.

What you should do

If you feel any of these symptoms it is of course very important to schedule an examination by your doctor or gnaecologist. They may run some tests to try and diagnose the source of the problem and confirm if it is a cystic rupture or not. These tests are similar to the tests that would be used to test for a cyst in the first place such as pelvic ultrasound and laparoscopy.

With a ruptured ovarian cyst, seeking medical help is even more important since there can be life threatening complications associated with them such as hemmorhaging, sepsis caused by leakage of fluid into the abdomen and long term issues such as chronic pelvic pain syndrome.

More articles on ruptured ovarian cysts:

• Ovarian Cyst Rupture Symptoms

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