ok...now I'm freakin'. Went to the doc to get the left side pelvic pain looked at. She said my left ovary is a little larger than my right and ordered an ultrasound. She said no emergency---get it done before the next period. There may be a cyst that is leaking---or you may just have a sore muscle and you need some motrin.

I cant help but get scared about cancer---even though she said she isnt worried.

Please re-assure me

I don't have much info to go by but it would be interesting to know your age. I have a 21 year old daughter who had polycystic ovaries and it can be very painful. The number one cause of ovarian cysts is a hormonal balance - too much estrogen, not enough progesterone, and excessive testosterone. Do not let your doctor put you on BCP. Try to get the book by Dr. John Lee - "What your Doctor May Not Tell You About Perimenopause". There is a great chapter on PCOS. Start by eliminating all processed foods, supplement with Indole3 carbinols, fibre and Udo's oil (omega 3). Increase your exercise. We have a lot of "xenoestrogens" in our environment that contribute to hormonal imbalance. Do not heat food in plastic, elimnate chemicals from your environment - ie: harsh cleaning products, products containing petrochemicals (soaps, shampoos, some toothpaste, nail polish etc). My daughter also started on bioidentical progesterone cream to balance out her dominant estrogen. 3 months later no cysts were seen on the ultrasound.
Good Luck

I'm 46. No real signs of menapause (a bit of over heating around period time, perhaps).

I couldnt possible excersize more than I do now and keep my job (a solid hour to 90 minutes a day).

I'm just worried about cancer---even though my doc said she is not---my grandmother died of ovarian cancer in her 60's and I never had kids so that puts me at higer risk.

I recently had a cyst on my ovary explode, there really is nothing to worry about. I am not worried, and you shouldn't be. I've had cancer twice, and I't's gone now- - - I had cervical cancer. Dont be scared. You'll be fine!

I am 25, and have been having cysts since I was 20. I've always been able to "feel" the egg release- which side, etc, because it gets sore. But it got more intense, and then I started to have pain with intercourse. I saw a doc, and she ordered an ultrasound for me. She told me to close my eyes, and tell her whenever she hit a spot that hurt. I did so, and everytime I said, "ow" she told me to look at the screen. It was where the cysts had burst that was painful-- they looked like black pools of liquid. The doc said that most of the time they aren't that dangerous, your body just reabsorbs the liquid. As long as your periods aren't crazy and the pain doesnt' get worse, you are fine. (Of course, if the pain persists or gets worse, demand more info.)
She said that pregnancy often "heals" the condition. The interesting thing is that I was on the pill, so she said I shouldn't be getting cysts, since it happens when the egg releases. I am a bit overweight, so I decided that maybe the pill wasn't working. I went off it, and the symptoms got so much better! In doing more research, we know that it is sometimes too much of a hormone, so I think that's what happened. I still have the cysts, and the monthly soreness, but no pelvic pain with sex, etc. Staying away from processes foods, sodium and caffine, and exercising help tremendously.

Steroid contraception causes an increased risk of dysfunctional ovarian cysts.

See

British Medical Journal

http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/eletters/317/7154/329#69506

"The propaganda message has been that Pill use prevents ovarian cysts. The reality is only functional cysts are less likely because ovulation is usually suppressed. A four times increased risk of dysfunctional ovarian cysts was found in the Walnut Creek Contraceptive Drug Study in women under age 40.1 Hormone takers are more likely to have higher copper, lower zinc and lower magnesium levels than non-takers. Mineral deficiencies and imbalances block essential fatty acid pathways and impair the function of B vitamins.2"

This explains why so many women and girls who previous to being prescribed these drugs (not necessarily only for contraception, I hasten to add - I'm not against contraception per se) did not have any symptoms are now developing PCOS after being on these drugs. These drugs can also cause insulin resistance - another symptom of PCOS.