Classification of diseases of the ovaries
- Tumorous diseases
- Tissue specific diseases
- Acute emergencies
Tumorous diseases
Ovarian cancer is diagnosed in about 10 out of 100,000 women every year and is the second most common malignant tumor of the female reproductive organs. In the early stages, ovarian cancer very rarely causes symptoms, with vaginal bleeding after menopause occurring in only 10-15% of cases. In late stages, constipation, diarrhea, indigestion, bloated abdomen, increase in abdominal girth due to abdominal fluid and decrease in subcutaneous fat tissue with sunken cheeks.
Unfortunately, there is no effective method of early detection of ovarian cancer. The most important treatment method is the removal of all tumor tissue and careful screening for metastases of the tumor in the abdominal cavity during surgery. Once the tumor has spread beyond an ovary, chemotherapy is then performed.
Tissue specific diseases
Functional cysts of the ovary are encapsulated accumulations of fluid in or on the ovary. They are caused by disorders in the female hormonal cycle and can be attributed to various causes: For example, follicular and para-ovarian cysts can be found. Follicular cysts develop when an egg matures but does not ovulate.
This happens more frequently in young girls and young women whose cycle is (still) irregular. The follicle (follicle) then continues to grow and can grow several centimetres in size, causing pain. Follicular cysts usually recede spontaneously after 6-8 weeks.
Paraovarian cysts are remnants from the development of the internal reproductive organs in the womb and are located near the ovaries, for example in the surrounding connective tissue. They are benign, but can cause pain and must therefore sometimes be removed by laparoscopy. Endometriosis describes a disease in which parts of the lining of the uterus (technical term: endometrium) are in the wrong place.
Instead of being found only inside the uterus, it is also found in other parts of the abdominal cavity, for example in the ovaries or the fallopian tubes. The dislocated mucous membrane is most often found in the posterior ligament of the uterus or in the ovaries, but can also be found in the vaginal wall, for example. Endometriosis is a quite common disease: it is estimated that 6-10% of all women are affected.
The two most common symptoms are (cycle-dependent) pain and/or an unfulfilled desire to have children. The severity of endometriosis is hormone-dependent: Under the influence of oestrogen (female sex hormone produced in the ovaries), the lining of the uterus grows both in the uterus and in places where there is a focus of endometriosis (lining of the uterus in the wrong place). A final therapy is therefore possible by the withdrawal of estrogens (by removing the ovaries), but this is associated with many side effects, especially in pre-menopausal women.
Usually, however, the therapy is very individual and ranges from hormone therapy to surgical removal of the endometriosis lesions. Unfortunately, one of the complications of endometriosis is infertility. If there is a lot of endometrial lining in the fallopian tubes, these can become sticky and restrict normal function.
In addition, however, a connection between endometriosis and a disturbed function of the ovaries is suspected, since even patients with only a low disease burden may have problems getting pregnant. The PCO syndrome describes a common disease of the ovaries, which is characterized by many cysts in the ovary (PCO = polycystic ovaries). The PCO syndrome affects an estimated 4 to 12 percent of women of childbearing age and is caused by a hormonal disorder of the menstrual cycle.
It is caused by a hormonal disruption of the menstrual cycle, resulting in rare or missing ovulations and thus irregular cycles, increased levels of male sex hormones and other symptoms such as diabetes mellitus. Overweight women are significantly more frequently affected. The PCO syndrome is a common cause of female infertility.
