Is this a common symptom of ovarian cancer?

sjde
sjde Member Posts: 10
in Ovarian Cancer #1
I am 58, so well past menopause, and have been feeling what I used to feel when I had mid-cycle pain before I stopped having periods 6 years ago. On my left side. Not pain really, but tenderness. It started in January or early February and now is at the point I feel it daily, 2 to 4 times, a minute or two each. I had an ultrasound today so am waiting to hear.
I have a sister who had breast cancer twice and I understand that puts me at greater risk of ovarian cancer, even though she tested negative for the BRCA gene.

Do post-menopausal women get ovarian cysts, fibroids, polyps?
«1

Comments

  • lovesanimals
    lovesanimals Member Posts: 1,366 Member
    #2
    Good Question
    Sorry, but I don't know if post-menopausal women get ovarian cysts, fibroids or polyps. Maybe other women on this board will be able to answer your question. From an ultrasound, I was diagnosed with having uterine fibroids when I was 49, but I was still perimenopausal. I hope you get good results from your ultrasound.

    Kelly
  • AnneBehymer
    AnneBehymer Member Posts: 738 Member
    #3
    praying for good results
    Sorry I can't answer either but I will be praying for good results please let us know what you find out.

    Love, Hugs, and Prayers
    Anne
  • kellyh33
    kellyh33 Member Posts: 287
    #4
    ??
    Hello,
    I know fibroids disappear with menopause but I am unsure about cysts and polyps. Secondly, if you sister was BRCA was negative then you do not have an increased risk of breast or ovarian cancer.
    Lastly, please make sure you have a transvaginal ultrasound. This is extremely important because an ultrasound done on the outside of your body will not tell if you have a mass. This is the mistake my mom's doctor made with her. Don't leave with out the transvaginal ultrasound.
    Good luck, keep us posted.
    Kelly
  • carolenk
    carolenk Member Posts: 907 Member
    #5
    kellyh33 said:

    ??
    Hello,
    I know fibroids disappear with menopause but I am unsure about cysts and polyps. Secondly, if you sister was BRCA was negative then you do not have an increased risk of breast or ovarian cancer.
    Lastly, please make sure you have a transvaginal ultrasound. This is extremely important because an ultrasound done on the outside of your body will not tell if you have a mass. This is the mistake my mom's doctor made with her. Don't leave with out the transvaginal ultrasound.
    Good luck, keep us posted.
    Kelly

    There are different kinds of
    There are different kinds of ovarian cysts; cysts typically are there before menopause. Then some can become malignant and others go away or don't cause problems after menopause. A new cyst after menopause is rare. I agree that you need a transvaginal ultrasound & probably a blood test for CA-125.

    Best wishes.
  • JoWin615
    JoWin615 Member Posts: 150 Member
    #6
    I agree with Carolenk
    Keep talking to your doctors about chronic pain. And get those tests. And keep us posted!

    Cheers, Jo
  • Cafewoman53
    Cafewoman53 Member Posts: 735 Member
    #7
    Yes
    I was post- menopausal and was being treated for benign polyps . I insisted on a hysterectomy because I thought I had some type of cancer and figured the doctor would see it while taking out my uterus. I had no idea it was gyn in nature.
    Ask for a baseline ca125 ,insist on it at the very least it will be something they can know what your normal is .
    Good luck hopefully you will find this to be something simple and harmless. Well not harmless as it is causing you pain. Listen to your body and make your doctors listen too !
    Colleen
  • sjde
    sjde Member Posts: 10
    #8
    Cafewoman53 said:

    Yes
    I was post- menopausal and was being treated for benign polyps . I insisted on a hysterectomy because I thought I had some type of cancer and figured the doctor would see it while taking out my uterus. I had no idea it was gyn in nature.
    Ask for a baseline ca125 ,insist on it at the very least it will be something they can know what your normal is .
    Good luck hopefully you will find this to be something simple and harmless. Well not harmless as it is causing you pain. Listen to your body and make your doctors listen too !
    Colleen

    I've heard the CA-125 test
    I've heard the CA-125 test was not a good diagnostic tool; that it's only used if you've been diagnosed and then it can let them know if cancer has returned.
  • Kaleena
    Kaleena Member Posts: 2,088 Member
    #9
    lovesanimals said:

    Good Question
    Sorry, but I don't know if post-menopausal women get ovarian cysts, fibroids or polyps. Maybe other women on this board will be able to answer your question. From an ultrasound, I was diagnosed with having uterine fibroids when I was 49, but I was still perimenopausal. I hope you get good results from your ultrasound.

    Kelly

    My friend, just today, had a
    My friend, just today, had a D&C because she was starting to bleed again after going through menopause about 5 years ago. They removed (as my friend says) a bunch of polyps which they are sending out to be tested. She is 56 years old.
  • khsherwood
    khsherwood Member Posts: 33 Member
    #10
    cysts and other stuff
    hi, I am 58 years old. My periods stopped six years ago. I have had fibroids for about twenty years. I had breast cancer thirteen years ago. Because of this my gynocolgist did an ultrasound of my pelvis every six months. Ten years ago I had my left ovary removed because of a "funky looking" cyst. I t turned out to be benign. I moved to another state and had difficulty finding a doctor who would continue doing ultrasounds of my pelvis. I finally did. That next ultrasound found that my right ovary was the same size as my uterus. I had the surgery. It turned out that most of the tumor was benign, but a very small section was cancer. Two and a half years later, here I am. I'm fine. the cancer was caught early due to the ultrasound. By the way, I still have my uterus, complete with fibroids. So I would say yes, cysts can develop after menopause . Get it checked out and good luck. I really hope it's not cancer but if it is, I hope that it is caught early. Kelly
  • sjde
    sjde Member Posts: 10
    #11
    khsherwood said:

    cysts and other stuff
    hi, I am 58 years old. My periods stopped six years ago. I have had fibroids for about twenty years. I had breast cancer thirteen years ago. Because of this my gynocolgist did an ultrasound of my pelvis every six months. Ten years ago I had my left ovary removed because of a "funky looking" cyst. I t turned out to be benign. I moved to another state and had difficulty finding a doctor who would continue doing ultrasounds of my pelvis. I finally did. That next ultrasound found that my right ovary was the same size as my uterus. I had the surgery. It turned out that most of the tumor was benign, but a very small section was cancer. Two and a half years later, here I am. I'm fine. the cancer was caught early due to the ultrasound. By the way, I still have my uterus, complete with fibroids. So I would say yes, cysts can develop after menopause . Get it checked out and good luck. I really hope it's not cancer but if it is, I hope that it is caught early. Kelly

    Well, I just got a call on
    Well, I just got a call on my ultrasound results. This is very strange. The doctor said nothing looked abnormal but they couldn't visualize the left ovary! So they want me to have a CT scan.
  • whiterose
    whiterose Member Posts: 89
    #12
    kellyh33 said:

    ??
    Hello,
    I know fibroids disappear with menopause but I am unsure about cysts and polyps. Secondly, if you sister was BRCA was negative then you do not have an increased risk of breast or ovarian cancer.
    Lastly, please make sure you have a transvaginal ultrasound. This is extremely important because an ultrasound done on the outside of your body will not tell if you have a mass. This is the mistake my mom's doctor made with her. Don't leave with out the transvaginal ultrasound.
    Good luck, keep us posted.
    Kelly

    Kelly
    You posted (I think) that if someone's sister was BRCA negative that that person wasn't at increased risk of breast or ovarian cancer. My sister was tested and she is BRCA negative, does that mean I'm not at increased risk for breast cancer? I would think that the genetic predisposition would run in families.....Thanks for your help!
    Sue
  • sjde
    sjde Member Posts: 10
    #13
    sjde said:

    Well, I just got a call on
    Well, I just got a call on my ultrasound results. This is very strange. The doctor said nothing looked abnormal but they couldn't visualize the left ovary! So they want me to have a CT scan.

    There are most likely
    There are most likely genetic factors besides BRCA that we don't even know about yet.
    When one hears that if there is a family history of breast cancer, then the risk of ovarian and colon cancer is increased, you don't hear them add, " but only if the one with breast cancer tested BRCA positive."
  • carolenk
    carolenk Member Posts: 907 Member
    #14
    whiterose said:

    Kelly
    You posted (I think) that if someone's sister was BRCA negative that that person wasn't at increased risk of breast or ovarian cancer. My sister was tested and she is BRCA negative, does that mean I'm not at increased risk for breast cancer? I would think that the genetic predisposition would run in families.....Thanks for your help!
    Sue

    Risk of cancer
    Once you have an immediate family member with breast or ovarian cancer, that automatically increases your risk but only slightly. There are different degrees of risk.

    My risk of ovarian cancer (no other family members with gyn cancers) was 1.2% now that I had OVCA (and am BRCA1 and BRCA2 negative), my sisters' & daughter's risk just went up from 1.2% to 5%.

    It's just a risk and certainly not a done deal.
  • kellyh33
    kellyh33 Member Posts: 287
    #15
    whiterose said:

    Kelly
    You posted (I think) that if someone's sister was BRCA negative that that person wasn't at increased risk of breast or ovarian cancer. My sister was tested and she is BRCA negative, does that mean I'm not at increased risk for breast cancer? I would think that the genetic predisposition would run in families.....Thanks for your help!
    Sue

    Sue
    Hi,
    When my Mom tested positive for ovarian cancer the doctor did the genetic testing and thankfully her cancer had no genetic component to it. We were told since her cancer no genetic link we had the same chance as the rest of the population of getting ovarian cancer. She also tested negative for the breast cancer gene so the same logic would apply. That being said I will still have a transvaginal ultrasound yearly just to be on the safe side.
    Kelly
  • Ruffy7
    Ruffy7 Member Posts: 126
    #16
    sjde said:

    Well, I just got a call on
    Well, I just got a call on my ultrasound results. This is very strange. The doctor said nothing looked abnormal but they couldn't visualize the left ovary! So they want me to have a CT scan.

    Same here
    Hi Sjde, so what was the result of the CT scan? This is interesting, I was diagnosed with appendix cancer 6/2011 - been having 6 mos scans and bloodwork. Last one was on 2/3/12 - everything clear. So, fast forward to today, had my first period since the surgery (9 mos), gyno was concerned so did ultrasound this past Thursday. Get a call on Friday from her office, she wants me to come into go over the results and she wants me to get a CT scan. I just had one 6 weeks ago so now I'm worried about this. Is it common or for what reason would she want to do a CT scan so soon? Anyway, just curious what your outcome was and any ideas on this. Good luck, Ruffy
  • sjde
    sjde Member Posts: 10
    #17
    Ruffy7 said:

    Same here
    Hi Sjde, so what was the result of the CT scan? This is interesting, I was diagnosed with appendix cancer 6/2011 - been having 6 mos scans and bloodwork. Last one was on 2/3/12 - everything clear. So, fast forward to today, had my first period since the surgery (9 mos), gyno was concerned so did ultrasound this past Thursday. Get a call on Friday from her office, she wants me to come into go over the results and she wants me to get a CT scan. I just had one 6 weeks ago so now I'm worried about this. Is it common or for what reason would she want to do a CT scan so soon? Anyway, just curious what your outcome was and any ideas on this. Good luck, Ruffy

    The CT scan was normal so
    The CT scan was normal so I'm relieved though a bit mystified because something is going on.The dr thinks it could be referred pain from my hip (arthritis) and said I could see a physical therapist.
  • Cafewoman53
    Cafewoman53 Member Posts: 735 Member
    #18
    sjde said:

    The CT scan was normal so
    The CT scan was normal so I'm relieved though a bit mystified because something is going on.The dr thinks it could be referred pain from my hip (arthritis) and said I could see a physical therapist.

    Get the ca125 !
    It is a simple blood test that will help rule out ovarian cancer if you insist they will do it. This cancer is so difficult to find early even by the best of drs. They tell you it is only good after diagnosis but my sisters and daughters get one every six months with a vaginal ultrasound in order to catch the cancer early. Good luck
    Colleen
  • undertreatment2012
    undertreatment2012 Member Posts: 126
    #19
    symptoms
    NO post menopausal women are NOT supposed to get cysts and things on the ovaries. Stay on top of this and listen to your instincts.
  • Ruffy7
    Ruffy7 Member Posts: 126
    #20
    undertreatment2012 said:

    symptoms
    NO post menopausal women are NOT supposed to get cysts and things on the ovaries. Stay on top of this and listen to your instincts.

    update
    So,ultrasound showed 4cm mass in uterus, endometrial stripe at 7.23mm, and cysts on ovaries (these are the things I know about - will try to get this report as I'm sure onc may want to see it). Due to my history of appendix cancer, dr has scheduled me for a D&C and diagnostic laparoscopy on April 19. Thought I was past all this and now this is happening. Of course, it could all be totally unrelated to the appendix but ... you always wonder.
  • Adyneve_50
    Adyneve_50 Member Posts: 3
    #21
    Developed a Mass after having hysterectomy
    HellO. I got a mass that grew after I had a hysterectomy So then I had a debulking done. Received chemo 5 trials n then radiation.

Discussion Boards