Other Conditions That Are 'A Pain In The Ovary'

Ovarian Cancer

Women who are experiencing pain in what they think could be their ovaries are likely to think "I hope it's not cancer" straight away. Ovarian cancer tends to start out silently, giving clues about its existence only during later stages. Recognizing the symptoms and seeking care as soon as you do maximizes the chances of successful treatment. 

Besides pain, abdominal bloating, feeling full after eating small amounts, and urinating more frequently or feeling the urge sooner are all potentially symptoms of ovarian cancer. Some women with ovarian cancer experience fatigue, back pain, changes in their menstrual cycle, indigestion, constipation and pain during intercourse.

It is important to realize that these symptoms don't necessarily indicate ovarian cancer. You will notice that cysts can share many of these same symptoms, and benign tumors are another possibility. Women who do have ovarian cancer are likely to find that their pain starts suddenly, after which they also begin to notice some of the other symptoms. Later on, the pain becomes more constant and the other symptoms persist.

Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a condition in which the endometrium, the tissue that normally lines the uterus, also grows in other areas of the reproductive system. The endometrium builds up during the first half of the menstrual cycle in preparation for fertilization and pregnancy. When a woman doesn't get pregnant, the endometrium breaks down again and a portion of it is expelled through menstruation. 

Endometriosis can affect many parts of the pelvis, including the cervix, fallopian tubes, bladder — and the ovaries. While the uterine lining can easily be expelled through the vagina during menstruation, endometrial tissues in other places get trapped, which leads to scarring. In the ovaries, it can also cause the chocolate cysts we discussed earlier. 

The condition is also a common cause of infertility, yet another reason not to delay making an appointment with your doctor. 

PCOS

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is a common reproductive disorder that can affect a woman's fertility. PCOS interferes with ovulation, causes multiple cysts in the ovaries, and causes a woman to have high levels of male hormones called androgens in her system. Some of the most common symptoms of PCOS are irregular or absent periods, weight gain, excessive hair growth, acne, and hair thinning on the scalp. Another symptom is infertility, but women who are not trying to conceive won't notice this. PCOS symptoms can be mild to severe, and not every patient has every symptom. 

See Also: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) is an infection of the reproductive system that can lead to extensive damage and chronic pelvic pain. PID is most often caused by untreated sexually transmitted diseases, particularly chlamydia and gonorrhea. It can also develop after childbirth, miscarriage, abortion or other gynecological interventions. 

PID can cause pain in the ovaries, but the pain won't typically be limited to the upper reproductive tract because the conditions travels up from the vagina. Other than pain, the symptoms of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease can include fever, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, foul-smelling discharge, diarrhea, painful intercourse, trouble urinating, and irregular menstrual cycles. 

Women with pelvic pain are bound to search the internet for possible solutions before they make an appointment with a medical professional in this day and age, and it's quite possible that you're already fed up with the constant call to "see your doctor" throughout this article. In many cases, seeing a doctor in a timely manner will benefit patients enormously. That is definitely true in the case of PID.