What is pelvic pain like when it is due to ovarian cysts?
Many episodes of ovarian cyst formation not due to PCOS occur on one side or the other but usually not on both ovaries simultaneously. The pain is most often either in the right lower abdominal or left lower abdominal area. If the pain presents on both sides of the abdomen at once in the “ovary” area, there is the possibility of cysts on both ovaries, but it is more likely that the pain is due to vascular congestion, endometriosis or large bowel problems such as irritable bowel, lactose intolerance etc. Pelvic congestion is often associated with a polycystic appearance of the ovaries on ultrasound (3). Most non-PCOS ovarian cyst formation comes and goes. The natural history of follicular cysts is that about 50-70% regress in 2 months and about another 5% in 3 months (4). On infrequent occasions, ovarian cysts can rupture, causing internal bleeding. This is somewhat more frequent in women over 30 years of age and involves a follicular cyst less often than a corpus luteum cyst (5). Do bi
