What are the symptoms of uterine cysts?

Uterine cysts can be divided into malignant uterine cysts and benign uterine cysts. The symptoms of these two types of cysts are similar, but the symptoms of malignant uterine cysts are relatively more severe. The more we know about the symptoms of this disease, the better it will be for our own health.

Clinical manifestations of benign uterine cysts

It develops slowly and is often asymptomatic in the early stages, and is often discovered accidentally during a gynecological examination. People with medium-sized tumors often feel a discomfort in the abdomen and can feel a lump that grows from one side of the lower abdomen upward. During gynecological examination, a spherical mass was felt on one side of the uterus. It was cystic or solid, with a smooth surface and no adhesion to the uterus. The elderly could move freely. Large or huge tumors that fill the pelvis and abdomen may cause compression symptoms such as frequent urination, constipation, shortness of breath, palpitations, etc. During gynecological examination, the vaginal vault is full and the lower pole of the tumor can be felt. The uterine body is located to the side or front and back of the tumor and moves with the cervix.

Clinical manifestations of malignant uterine cysts

There are usually no symptoms in the early stages, and when symptoms appear, the disease is often in the late stage. Due to the rapid growth of the tumor, abdominal distension, abdominal masses and ascites may occur in the short term. How the tumor infiltrates into surrounding tissues or compresses nerves can cause abdominal pain, back pain, or lower limb pain; if it compresses the pelvic veins, lower limb edema may occur; if it is a functional tumor, it can produce corresponding symptoms of excess estrogen or androgen. Late-stage patients show cachexia. During gynecological examination, scattered hard nodules can be felt in the posterior fornix of the vagina. The lumps are mostly lateral, solid or semi-solid, with an uneven surface, fixed, and often accompanied by bloody ascites. Sometimes swollen lymph nodes can be felt in the groin, armpits, or above the collarbone.

Once a uterine cyst is found, it should be determined as soon as possible whether it is a neoplastic cyst or a non-neoplastic cyst. The diagnosis can be made based on the speed of tumor growth, size, characteristics, and corresponding examinations, such as hysterosalpingography, intravenous pyelography, ultrasound diagnosis or abdominal tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and even laparoscopy and laparotomy. If it is a tumor cyst, early surgical removal is required regardless of whether it is suspected to be malignant.