I have a large cyst on my left ovary. I haven't asked for exact
measurements, but she says things like "a cyst of this size..." and
"massive" with her eyes wide open, and she told me it's "so big" that
the ovary can't be saved and will have to come out with it. So obviously
it's something to be concerned about. She wants to wait a month and
check on it when I go in on 1/2 for the anatomy scan, and at that time
she'll decide whether she wants to keep monitoring it with the hope that
it'll shrink slowly and can just be removed during my c-section, or
whether she wants to remove it right away. I'll be 19 weeks then, which
is only a couple of weeks before the "safe" period ends and surgery
becomes riskier due to the possibility of the operation inducing labor.
Apparently the biggest dangers are bleeding and/or sepsis from a
rupture, and/or torsion, especially as the baby gets bigger and pushes
against the cyst.
I'm torn. Part of me wants to tell her to go
for it and get it out now. Surgery sucks, and I know it'll be worse
since I have a 2-year-old to take care of, but I'd hate to wait and miss
the safe window only to have emergency surgery at 25 or 30 weeks.
Have
any of you had a cyst removed during pregnancy? What was your
experience? (With stats, please -- how far along, the size of the cyst,
etc.)
Or did you have a "massive" one that either shrank or stayed the same until you could have it removed when the baby was born?
I'm trying to make a good decision here, but the whole thing seems like a catch-22. Blech.
DS: 11/8/11 | 9 lb 7 oz, 22 in
DD: 5/22/14 | 9 lb 9 oz, 21.5 in
Re: Cyst removal surgery during pregnancy (XP to May 2014)
DS: 11/8/11 | 9 lb 7 oz, 22 in
DD: 5/22/14 | 9 lb 9 oz, 21.5 in
While i didn't have a cyst removed, i did have surgery at 17 weeks during this pregnancy and had all the lymph nodes removed from my right armpit due to cancer. While it's nowhere near my uterus so less complicated in that respect, i understand the apprehension to go under anesthesia while pregnant and i can at least share the surgery experience. The babies and i came through just fine. I was anxious to get it over with and get the cancer out but so worried for the safety of my twins. Everything was textbook perfect, babies had good strong heartbeats when my doc checked with the dopler just a few hours after surgery. I'm now 22 weeks and they are doing great
Wishing you all the best with your surgery!!
DS: 11/8/11 | 9 lb 7 oz, 22 in
DD: 5/22/14 | 9 lb 9 oz, 21.5 in