Obstetrics & Gynecology

Answer 6 No immediate intervention, order a follow-up pelvic ultrasound in 6 to 8 weeks. Simple ovarian cysts that are unilocular and less than 5 cm occur frequently in women of reproductive age. Most of these cysts arise and resolve without problem, and in women who are asymptomatic, no immediate intervention is required. Oral contraceptive pills are associated with a decreased incidence of developing ovarian cysts and thus are commonly initiated when a cyst has developed.6 However, there is no evidence that initiating oral contraceptive pills helps to resolve cysts that are already present. Waiting 6 to 8 weeks and reimaging the pelvis and ovary is the recommended course in this asymptomatic patient. REFERENCE 6. Grimes DA, Jones LB, Lopez LM, Schulz KF. Oral contraceptive for functional ovarian cysts. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2006;4:CD006134. Click here to return to the questions

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