Can chocolate cysts be cured? See the experts’ answers!

Chocolate cyst is a serious disease that occurs in the female uterus. This disease is also called ovarian endometriosis cyst. Patients will experience severe dysmenorrhea symptoms, and it will be very painful during sexual intercourse. It will also be accompanied by symptoms such as menstrual disorders and infertility. In short, this is a very harmful disease. How can we treat this disease in a targeted manner?

1. Can chocolate cysts disappear on their own? Don’t think too much!

Eating chocolate will not cause ovarian chocolate cysts. The name of this disease comes from the dark "chocolate sauce" blood in the cyst. Under the influence of hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle, the endometrium that colonizes the ovaries will also grow larger, like a child who goes out and supports himself alone. Because it resides in the ovaries and has no intention of migrating, the blood produced accumulates more and more.

Patients often ask whether chocolate cysts will disappear on their own and whether the "chocolate sauce" can be discharged on its own. Unfortunately, spontaneous disappearance is very rare, and if it does disappear on its own, there may be other factors that may have caused it.

In one case, a relatively small chocolate cyst may shrink on its own after taking oral contraceptives, because the highly effective progestin contained in the contraceptives can stop the growth of ectopic endometrium. Another possibility is that the chocolate cyst may have ruptured, which can be caused by excessive blood accumulation in the cyst cavity, excessive pressure or during sexual intercourse. However, this type of rupture "self-healing" will occur repeatedly, causing adhesions, and may eventually require ovarian removal.

2. Chocolate cyst, treat according to the situation

It is not difficult to find chocolate cysts. They can be detected through ordinary gynecological B-ultrasound and elevated CA125, but pathological examination will always be the "gold standard" for diagnosing this disease. If you don't get checked, you can't tell from the symptoms. Suffering from chocolate cysts not only causes women to suffer from dysmenorrhea and pain during sexual intercourse, but can also lead to infertility. Because the fallopian tubes are adhered to the surrounding tissues, their activity is hindered, making it impossible for the fallopian tubes to accurately "pick up" the eggs discharged by the ovaries.

Currently, there are three treatments available for ovarian cysts. First, traditional surgery will cause certain trauma, and the cyst is prone to rupture and cause recurrence; second, laparoscopic surgery has better therapeutic effects and is expensive, but the cyst is easily ruptured during the operation, leading to pelvic adhesions, chemical peritonitis, etc.; third, transvaginal ultrasound interventional surgery is a minimally invasive diagnosis and treatment technology with accurate positioning, no damage to other tissues, low recurrence rate, and no impact on fertility.

Treatment

It can be treated with medication or (and) surgery (conservative or radical). So far, there is no ideal cure except radical surgery. Both drug treatment and conservative surgery have a very high recurrence rate. Therefore, the selection should be based on factors such as the patient's age, symptoms, signs, extent of the lesion, fertility requirements, and the patient's subjective wishes, with emphasis on individualized treatment. It is recommended to choose the right medicine for active treatment combined with close follow-up and reexamination, pay attention to changes in the nature of ovarian cysts, and then take appropriate countermeasures. Mild lesions with mild or no symptoms are treated expectantly; mild patients with fertility desires will receive drug treatment after a clear diagnosis, and those with severe conditions will undergo fertility-preserving surgery; young patients with severe conditions who do not want to have children can undergo ovarian function-preserving surgery supplemented by drug treatment; patients with severe symptoms and lesions who do not want to have children can undergo radical surgery.

There are two surgical methods: open surgery and laparoscopic surgery. Laparoscopic surgery is the best treatment for this disease. Currently, laparoscopic diagnosis, surgery + medication are considered the gold standard for the treatment of endometriosis. In hospitals with the necessary conditions, laparoscopic surgery should be the preferred treatment for endometriosis. However, the choice and effect of laparoscopic surgery depend to a large extent on the equipment, instruments and the experience and skills of the surgeon. Open surgery can be used for surgeries that are not suitable for laparoscopy or are very complicated, such as those with severe adhesions and a history of multiple surgeries.