Birth Control to Shrink an Ovarian Cyst?

I had surgery to remove an ovarian cyst. The cyst was so big that the whole ovary had to be removed. It was done as an outpatient procedure. They do the surgery laproscopic, so there are 2 small incisions. There is pain involved. You do have to lay flat for the first 2 days because they fill the abdoman with gas and until the gas goes away it is very painful to sit. It caused sever pain in my upper chest and shoulders if i tried to sit up for the first few days. I did need help taking care of my daughter (she was 1 at the time) for the first week or so. You can't do any lifting or anything too strenuous. I won't lie, it was painful at first, but no worse than the pain involved with a c-section. Good luck with whatever happens.

I had a cyst on my left ovary earlier this year. Because I was just coming off a bacterial infection and had bad reactions to some of the meds they tried me on at the hospital, my dr prescribed antibiotics and some pain pills to help with the pain. Unfortunately I had a bad reaction with the pain pills and missed a lot of time from work, but it did help and the dr and I discused problems with the pain pills and she put me on something else which I have had no adverse reactions to. I haven't had a cyst since but know I am more likely to wind up with more of them. I do recall my mother going in for cyst removal a lot over the course of my early teens up until about 11 years ago when she had her hysterectomy. She would usually go in for surgery that morning and be out later that day. With her sensitivity to meds, it was dr ordered that she not be left alone for 24 hours after. I think there may have been one surgery prior to my early teens and we were living with my grandparents at the time so it was a big help, I am sure, to my mom even though I was about 8 or 9. I hope this helps somehow.

Yes, I have been placed on birth control pills to remove cysts and it worked.

Hi M.,
I had a cyst removed when I was 17 it was supposed to be done laproscopic but because of the size (a large grapefruit) they ended up making an incision I was in pain for a few days and had to spend one night in the hospital. For that one I was put on bc pills to hopefully shrink it but it didn't in some woman they do. I had another cyst removed in 2006 it was a much smaller one about the size you have and it was done laproscopic and I was more groggy than anything this one was done as an outpatient procedure and I was up walking around without a problem before leaving the hospital. They only make 2-3 very tiny incisions some people have pain for a few days after but I was more tired than pain. I didn't need help caring for my oldest but he was 5 so he didn't need much done for him when I had surgery to remove a lump in dec. 07 I needed help for a few days but mostly because my little guy was in a cuddly stage and liked to nestle his head where the incision was made for that. I have quite a few procedures done so if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. Good luck.

Hi M.,

I had 2 ovarian cysts removed 3 weeks ago. They were both about 5 cm. They were found during an ultrasound while I was pregnant and they decided to wait to have them removed until after the birth. It was an outpatient procedure - laparoscopy. I was very tender, sore, and tired for about 2 days; after that, each day that followed I felt significantly better. I have a 3 year old and a 10 week old at home, so I definitely needed some help with the 3 year old for a couple of days. Plus if you are on pain meds your doctor will probably recommend no driving for as long as you're on the meds (I was on oxycodone for 2 days - didn't need it after that). Overall it wasn't too bad. Now three weeks later I can still see the tiny incisions but I don't feel them and overall I feel really good. I hope this helps you some...good luck!

When I was 21, I had a lemon-sized cyst on my ovary. My doc put me on the pill to shrink the cyst...and it didn't work. I had surgery to remove the cyst and it wasn't really a big deal: outpatient, pretty quick recovery. I didn't have kids at the time, but I'm guessing you'll need some help for at least a few days post surgery.

I also have another cyst now on my ovary that has been there for more than 2 years. It is only 3 cm big, but has a solid piece of tissue in it. My current OB is happy to just watch it every few months and make sure it is not getting any bigger. If you really don't want surgery, you could always ask for this option.

Good luck!