Women's Health Center

Women’s Health Care

What Women Should Know

In every stage of her life, a woman has numerous chances to develop reproductive conditions, especially those over 30 years old. Uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, and endometrial hyperplasia are common among women. In fact, statistics show that 3 in 10 women will develop uterine fibroids and 30% of those will require surgery.

Cyst or Ovarian Cyst

An ovarian cyst is a fluid-filled sac that develops on an ovary. They are very common and do not usually cause any symptoms. Most of them will go away and not harmful for younger women. But for menopausal women, the ovarian cyst is a risk for cancer. Therefore, regular check-up is important.

Causes: A cyst can occur when the sac (also known as follicle) in the ovary does not rupture and release an egg. The follicle stays intact and the cyst continues to grow.

Symptoms: If the sac is small enough, it may not show any symptoms. For some women, they might feel some tension or discomfort in the lower abdomen. It might also cause distension, painful sexual intercourse. However, if symptoms escalate to acute pain, it might mean that the sac has ruptured and requires immediate medical attention.

Adenomyosis

When the tissue that lines the uterus grows into the muscular wall, it causes chronic inflammation and thickening, thereby leading to enlarged uterus or adenomyosis.

Causes: There is no clear cause, but it is most likely an inheritable condition. Some patients may have had surgery previously or abnormal amount of estrogen circulating in their body.

Symptoms: Heavy menstrual bleeding with large blood clots the size of a ping pong ball can be a sign of adenomyosis. Painful cramping which increases over time including frequent urination may signal that the outgrowth is impinging on the bladder.

Chocolate Cysts

The endometrial lining of the uterus will be shed each menstrual cycle. When this lining grows outside of the uterus or latched on to other tissue, such as the ovaries or fallopian tubes, they are known as endometriosis. Chocolate cyst is a subset of endometriosis and got its name from the brown fluid that looks like melted chocolate.

Cause: Sometimes the menstrual flow can recede into the fallopian tube and becomes trapped. Most common area that chocolate cysts are found include the pelvis, ovaries, fallopian tubes, pelvic floor, uterus, and cervix.

Symptoms: These include painful menstrual cramps, pelvic pain or painful intercourse. Chocolate cysts can lead to infertility.

Uterine Fibroids

Uterine fibroids are benign outgrowth that can affect many locations in the pelvis, including the uterine wall and endometrium. Certain types of uterine fibroids can lead to infertility and high risk of spontaneous abortion.

Cause: It is still unclear, but estrogen imbalance may trigger the outgrowth. Overweight women may have higher risk.

Symptom: Excessive menstrual flow with blood clots, prolonged menstrual period of longer than one week, painful cramping or spotting between menstrual cycles and frequent urination are all signs, although some patients may not have any of these symptoms.

Pelvic Adhesion

Pelvic adhesion is a condition where there is fibrosis in the pelvis area, typically in the fallopian tubes, ovaries, or uterus. Such condition will result in infertility and may interfere with your daily living.

Cause: The organs inside the pelvis, such as the fallopian tubes or uterus, can become inflamed or get chronic infection, causing adhesion. Abnormal outgrowth inside the uterus or previous pelvic surgery may also lead to fibrosis.

Symptoms: Pain in the lower abdominal area, including dull pain, sharp pain, or cramping; constipation, frequent urination; urinary tract infection; radiating back aches that run down the legs; pelvic inflammation with fever, lower abdominal pain and leucorrhea (too much vaginal discharge).

Dermoid Cyst

Dermoid cysts tend to not show any symptoms, but if the cyst is large enough, it may cause problematic complications, such as rupture that requires ovary removal. If it occurs during pregnancy, such surgery increases the risk of abortion or premature labor.

Cause: Because these progenitor cells are in the ovaries since birth, they can be stimulated to differentiate into fat cells, hair, cartilage or teeth, but are contained inside the sac. Dermoid cysts can be found in young women who never had sexual intercourse or even in young girls who have not started their menstrual cycles yet.

Symptoms: There are no warning signs or symptoms until complications occur. The most common complications include torsion or rupture, which will cause lower abdominal pain on the left or right hand side. It will be painful when applying pressure to the area, with nausea and low-grade fever. Emergency surgery is necessary to avoid abscess and ovary removal.

ADVANCED MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGERY

When a woman suffers from pelvic problems, it can affect her mentally and physically. Chronic painful abdominal pain can cause many women to miss work during their menstrual cycles. Accurate diagnosis and treatment will build up their confidence again.

The female reproductive organs are complicated and sensitive. Precise technology is the right solution to help improve the patient’s quality of life. Advanced minimally invasive surgery does not require large incisions into the abdomen, but uses 3 – 4 small 5 – 10 mm incisions to insert surgical tools and 4K ultra high-definition camera to view internal organs in 3D. An experienced surgeon specifically trained for this technique can perform the surgery precisely and effectively to decrease the risk of fibrosis and complications. Moreover, patients can recover quicker and return to their normal routine within a week, worry-free.