Is dilatation and curettage necessary to remove an ovarian cyst?

Q: I am 23 years old girl with an ovarian cyst measuring 8.69x5.43 cm. My doctor has asked me to undergo a surgery and then Dilatation and Curettage (D & C) for removing the cyst. Operation is fine with me but I do not want to go for D & C as I am unmarried and D & C will result in loss of virginity. Is D & C inevitable in my case?

A:Apart from having an ovarian cyst, if you have no other problems (e.g. bleeding problems), I can think of no medical reason for having a D & C (Dilatation and Curettage) along with removal of the ovarian cyst. There are two possibilities regarding the ovarian cyst:

1. It is a benign (harmless) cyst. In this case once the cyst is removed, you are essentially treated. There is no further treatment you need.
2. If the cyst does not look benign, you will need another kind of operation. However, even then there is no place for D&C.

I would suggest you ask your doctor the reason he wants to do D & C. If you have an ovarian cyst measuring almost 9 cm, all that needs done is removal of the cyst - either by laparoscopy (key hole method) or laparotomy (open method). Laparoscopic removal has several advantages compared to laparotomy. There is no obvious reason he should be doing a D & C. As you mentioned in our query, I can perfectly understand your concerns with undergoing D & C and I think you should refuse undergoing that procedure unless there is a very good medical reason (which is very unlikely).