Does Endometriosis Cause Cysts? Your Questions Answered

You suffer from excruciating pain surrounding your menstrual cycle. The cramps, the abdominal and back pain, and the heavy bleeding are excessive and you can’t seem to function throughout your day.

You already know that you have endometriosis, but these symptoms seem even more intense than usual. 

And let's not even discuss the pain during intimacy.

It is all more than you can handle, and you begin to wonder if these persistent symptoms can be more than just endometriosis.

You find yourself asking, “Can endometriosis cause ovarian cysts?”

Here you will learn what endometriomas are, how to detect them and become diagnosed, and various ways that these painful ovarian cysts can be treated.

Table of Contents

• Can Endometriosis Cause Ovarian Cysts?
• What Cysts Are Associated With Endometriosis?
• Cysts Caused By Endometriosis: Diagnosis And Treatment
• 3 Natural Ways To Relieve Pain From Cysts Caused By Endometriosis

Can Endometriosis Cause Ovarian Cysts?

Endometriosis is a disease in which the tissue inside of a woman’s uterus begins to grow outside of the uterus. It can be incredibly painful for the 1 in 10 women that it affects worldwide.

Often, endometriosis can cause ovarian cysts. These cysts, called endometriomas, are specific to women with endometriosis.

Why do ovarian cysts form in women with endometriosis?

During a woman’s menstrual cycle, the tissue found outside of the uterus doesn’t shed properly. Over time, it builds up and becomes trapped. 

When it’s trapped, it begins to cause internal damage, including:

• Scarring
• Inflammation
• Ovarian cysts

What Cysts Are Associated With Endometriosis?

The deep ovarian cysts that affect the ovaries of women with endometriosis are known as endometriomas. 

They are dark and tar-like, resembling chocolate. Because of this, they are sometimes referred to as “chocolate cysts”. 

Endometriomas can potentially:

• Contribute to infertility
• Cause severe pelvic pain
• Increase risk for ovarian cancer

Functional Cysts

Functional ovarian cysts are most common in healthy women without endometriosis. They occur during her menstrual cycle and can be:

• Follicular - when the follicle surrounding your egg does not rupture during menstruation and instead continues to grow.
• Corpus luteum - when extra fluid builds up in this remaining follicle after ovulation.

Functional Cyst Symptoms

Functional cysts often do not cause any symptoms because they tend to be small and disappear rather quickly on their own.

If you’re experiencing a functional cyst, you might have extra cramping or abdominal pain.

Endometriomas

What cysts are associated with endometriosis?

Most commonly, endometriomas. 

Endometriomas are severe ovarian cysts and are very likely the largest threat to a woman’s reproduction.

It is common for endometriomas to be present in the most severe cases of endometriosis. 

How do they form?

1. The tissue that grows outside of the uterus is still hormonally active, so it attempts to shed during a woman's menstrual cycle.
2. This tissue that is in a foreign place, usually the ovaries, bleeds.
3. The tissue is covered with endometrial stroma so it adheres to its surroundings and causes extreme pain.
4. The endometrial cells attach to the ovaries and develop into cysts, trapping the endometrial tissue.

Unfortunately, endometriomas are closely linked to ovarian cancer, putting women who experience these cysts at an increased risk.

Endometrioma Symptoms

Endometriomas can cause severe pain, generally around the ovaries because that is where these cysts tend to grow. 

The symptoms are similar to the symptoms of endometriosis, including:

• Severe pelvic pain
• Heavy and painful menstrual cycle
• Back pain
• Painful intercourse
• Pain when using the restroom

Endometriomas can be found via imaging, but a large endometrioma can sometimes be found through palpitations during a manual exam. 

They are characterized by:

• A tender pelvis
• A fixed or retroverted uterus
• Nodules surrounding the uterosacral ligaments

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Cysts Caused By Endometriosis: Diagnosis And Treatment

The pelvic pain is unbearable.

You think you can feel a firm and palpable ball near your ovaries.

It’s painful to have intercourse and your abdomen hurts.

You know you have endometriosis, but can endometriosis cause ovarian cysts? 

How can you know for sure?

You want an official diagnosis and to know your options for treatment.

How Are Cysts Caused By Endometriosis Are Diagnosed?

If you have endometriosis and you’re experiencing:

• Painful intercourse
• Extreme pain surrounding your menstrual cycle
• Chronic pelvic pain

...you should seek the opinion of a professional to rule out or diagnose a cyst caused by endometriosis.

If large enough, these “chocolate cysts” can sometimes be detected through an exam where your doctor palpates your abdomen and pelvic area to feel for the cysts through your skin.

If a cyst cannot be found this way, an ultrasound can be done. This detailed view of your ovaries can detect the blood-filled cysts that are causing extreme pain and discomfort around your ovaries and in your pelvic area.

How Are Cysts Caused By Endometriosis Treated?

Although there are ways to make living with endometriosis more bearable, there is currently no known treatment for the painful disease found in women.

However, cysts and other endometriosis symptoms can be monitored and controlled in varying ways depending on the severity of them.

The cysts can be:

1. Closely monitored by your doctor.
2. Managed by medication.
3. Surgically removed.

Careful Monitoring

Treatment of cysts is dependent on their size and severity.

Cysts that are harmless and small typically do not require more than just careful monitoring for growth.

Doctors can use ultrasound imaging to view and track the growth of endometriomas. If they grow and become harmful, they can lead to ovarian cancer.

If and when cysts grow and begin to cause more harm, medication and surgery might be required for further treatment.

Medication

GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone) agonist can be prescribed to help shrink the cysts caused by endometriosis and help relieve some pain.

GnRH is a hormone naturally made by the hypothalamus, which causes the brain to make and secrete the LH (luteinizing hormone) and follicle-stimulating hormones. 

Generally, a treatment of 3-6 months helps symptoms subside.

To avoid medications and instead help relieve your symptoms more naturally, try Chiavaye. Our products are pure and all-natural and help relieve symptoms associated with endometriosis.

Surgery

Endometrioma larger than 1.5 inches can be diagnosed and removed through laparoscopic surgery.

Here’s how it works:

1. The abdomen is inflated with gas to push the abdomen away from the organs.
2. A laparoscope, a lighted viewing tool, is interested in the abdomen through a small incision.
3. The doctor can see and remove any unwanted scar tissue and cysts that are causing pain.

3 Natural Ways To Relieve Pain From Cysts Caused By Endometriosis

Endometriomas can be painful, and monitoring symptoms or taking medication might not be the route you want to take to help relieve your pain.

Thankfully, there are a few natural ways to help relieve the pain from cysts caused by endometriosis.

You can:

1. Soak in an Epsom salt bath.
2. Follow a special diet designed for endometriosis.
3. Use natural products for symptom relief.

#1: Take An Epsom Salt Bath

Taking a hot bath with Epsom salt can help to relieve some of your endometrioma symptoms, like cramping and the stress associated with the unbearable pain.

The magnesium sulfate helps reduce the muscle cramping around your uterus, relaxing the body and offering relief. 

Once your body is relaxed, the bath can be a stress-free and relaxing experience.

#2: Follow The Endometriosis Diet

Food is fuel, and following an endometriosis-friendly diet can help your body feel its best while relieving some pain caused by ovarian cysts and endometrial pain.

Your specific diet might vary slightly, but women with endometriosis and ovarian cysts should consider eating a diet that is:

• Anti-inflammatory
• Soy-free
• Dairy-free
• Gluten-free

#3: Use Chiavaye

If you’re experiencing endometriosis-related symptoms like...

• Painful intercourse
• Severe cramping and pain around your menstrual cycle
• Pain around your abdomen
• Pain when using the bathroom

...Chiavaye can help.

Our line of natural products is designed to relieve symptoms associated with endometriosis and help make daily tasks easier and more enjoyable. Intimacy and menstrual cycles should not be excruciatingly painful, so our products like a daily personal moisturizer or healthy sex lube are designed with women like you in mind.