Can a Ruptured Ovarian Cyst Become a Medical Emergency?

If you are a woman, you will have an ovarian cyst between now and menopause, but unless you are one of the unlucky few you will never even know you had one. Many ovarian cysts are accidentally diagnosed during an examination for something else and not because you are having symptoms. However, if you have an ovarian cyst causing symptoms, especially one that has ruptured, you will be well-aware of its presence. I have had two rupture; one ruptured when I was a teenager in high school and one just last month. Both required surgery and both were extremely excruciatingly painful.

Signs and Symptoms

For both instances, the pain started out dull earlier in the day and worsened and became more severe as the day dragged on. For this article, I will focus on my most recent experience. The day began normally and I got up, did my morning routine and got busy working. I wasn't feeling particularly well, but just assumed I was tired from a long week. As the day went on, this nagging pelvic pain just got worse and worse. Based on my previous experience and health care background, I should have just stopped working and gone to the hospital, but I was stubborn and had work deadlines to get done so I kept going. Eventually, I finished working and curled up on the couch. By this time I was also very nauseous and on the verge of vomiting, I was very pale, starting to get a fever, I was sweating, but cold and clammy and I was dizzy and faint. My health care background told me I was losing blood and my health status was now a medical emergency. Within 20 minutes I was in the emergency room and rather in and out of it. Then, I was in surgery. When I woke up I learned I had a very large ovarian cyst that had ruptured and I had hemorrhaged.

Recovery

It has been a few weeks and I still do not feel completely well. Anesthesia always wipes me out completely. I had a hysterectomy during the last week of April 2010 and I was fatigued for nearly three months. The rest of the hysterectomy recovery was flawless. I am recovering well from this ruptured ovarian cyst and its associated complications and surgery. Good doctors who acted quickly no doubt have are completely responsible. I spent about five days in the hospital to recover.

I caution all women experiencing pelvic pain to get a diagnosis. If it is severe, get to the emergency room. There are dozens of causes of pelvic pain and some are easily treatable, but some are really severe and absolutely require emergency treatment.

Resources

Medscape Reference: Ovarian Cysts in Emergency Medicine