Will I lose the ovary?

The plan is to keep it. Rarely it cannot be saved, when the cyst has replaced the healthy tissue or the findings turn out to be more than a cyst.

Will this change my periods or my hormones?

The ovary stays and keeps working. Periods usually carry on as before. Peeling out an endometrioma can cost some egg reserve.

The ovary and both tubes stay. Protecting that is part of why the cyst is peeled rather than the ovary removed.

Most are not. Your age, the ultrasound and the blood work decide how it is handled, and pathology gives the answer.

Sore incisions for a few days, plus gas pain in the shoulder. Ibuprofen covers most of it.

A new one can form on either ovary. Endometriomas are the ones that most often return.

Surgery

The cyst is peeled off the ovary and the ovary is left in place.

Also called ovarian cystectomy, laparoscopic cyst removal.

A cystectomy takes the cyst and leaves the ovary. The cyst wall is peeled away from healthy tissue.

It is usually done laparoscopically, through three small cuts. The cyst is put in a bag inside the abdomen so it does not spill.

Removing the whole ovary is a different operation. It is discussed beforehand and done only when the ovary cannot be saved.

1
Repeat the scan
Many cysts go away, so imaging is repeated before surgery is booked.
2
Blood work
Tumor markers are drawn when the ultrasound has features worth checking.
3
Under anesthesia
The operation is done with you fully asleep.
4
Cyst freed
The ovary is opened and the cyst wall is peeled off whole.
5
Out in a bag
The cyst is bagged inside the abdomen, then lifted out through a small cut.
6
Pathology sent
The cyst wall is read, and Dr. Mueller calls you with the report.

Will I lose the ovary?: The plan is to keep it. Rarely it cannot be saved, when the cyst has replaced the healthy tissue or the findings turn out to be more than a cyst.
Will this change my periods or my hormones?: The ovary stays and keeps working. Periods usually carry on as before. Peeling out an endometrioma can cost some egg reserve.
Will I still be able to get pregnant?: The ovary and both tubes stay. Protecting that is part of why the cyst is peeled rather than the ovary removed.
Could the cyst be cancer?: Most are not. Your age, the ultrasound and the blood work decide how it is handled, and pathology gives the answer.
Does it hurt afterward?: Sore incisions for a few days, plus gas pain in the shoulder. Ibuprofen covers most of it.
Can a cyst come back?: A new one can form on either ovary. Endometriomas are the ones that most often return.