Ovarian cysts after menopause: what to know

Ovarian cysts are fluid-filled or partly solid areas on an ovary. After menopause, a new finding is not interpreted in the same way as a simple cycle-related cyst before menopause. Many findings are non-cancerous, but the scan pattern and your personal history matter.

A clinician may review whether the cyst is simple or complex, whether it is causing pelvic pressure or pain, and whether it has changed on repeat imaging. Blood tests may sometimes add information, but no single test decides the diagnosis on its own.

Arrange a gynaecology review and take the scan report with you. A transvaginal ultrasound can give a closer view of the ovaries and the cyst's walls, fluid, and blood flow. Your clinician may recommend observation with repeat imaging, further testing, or surgery depending on the findings and your overall health.

Do not start or stop hormonal medicine to treat a cyst without advice. If removal is recommended, ask what laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy would involve and whether the whole ovary, rather than only the cyst, may need consideration.

Seek urgent medical help for sudden severe pelvic or abdominal pain, faintness, repeated vomiting, a swollen abdomen, fever, or heavy vaginal bleeding. These symptoms can signal a complication such as twisting, rupture, infection, or another condition that needs prompt assessment.

Ask whether the cyst is simple or complex, what its measurements and location are, and whether repeat imaging is needed. Ask which symptoms should prompt urgent help, whether blood tests are useful, and what the benefits and downsides of monitoring versus surgery would be for you.