Q: I am a 25 years old unmarried girl. Two years back I had laparoscopic cholycystectomy. This year I had a ruptured appendix so another surgery was done to remove the appendix. Before doing the operation, an ultrasound was done which showed: Left adnexa shows a cystic area in the left ovary measuring 32X37 mm and right adnexa is also bulky. After that I asked a question and I got a reply suggesting another ultrasound on the second day of the cycle. After 2 months of operation I got another ultrasound done which gave the following findings: Right ovary is normal in size, shape and echopattern. Right ovary measures 22X21X16 mm with an estimate volume of 4.0 cc. Left ovary is enlarged, there is a cyst in left ovary, measuring 37X27X14mm with an estimated volume of 16.2 cc. Right ovary measures 52X44X37 mm with estimated volume of 44.0 cc. There is no adenexal mass. Impression: Small left ovary cyst? functional. Please tell me what can be deduced from these findings? As far as pain is concerned, I used to have severe pain in that area but I always thought it due to appendix or something else. I have the problem of constipation as well. Almost three years back I had severe pain in that area (i.e. lower abdomen near uterus) another ultrasound was done. Even in that ultrasound it was found that there is a very small cyst. Then my doctor told me that this will go by itself and there is no need to worry. Please tell me is it normal to have these cysts and enlargement of ovary and what should be done now? Will this have any effect in my future life? How this can be treated?

A:I am sorry that you have had all these problems at a relatively young age. It appears that you may have a condition called polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). We do not really know what causes it but it can be managed with certain hormonal/other medicines. I would suggest a visit to a endocrinologist/gynaecologist. He/she may want to do further blood work up to come to a diagnosis and treatment plan for you. In the meantime, you can surf the web for some reputable source of information on PCOS. You can then compare your symptoms with the classic symptoms and start following some of the recommendations. Generally, all of us women will have cysts at some point which will spontaneously resolve. I would also suggest that you deal with the constipation, it can lead to many problems down the road.