Swollen ovaries

In most cases, a thickening of the ovaries is detected in the course of a gynecological ultrasound examination, so that one speaks of “swollen ovaries”. This means that the ovaries do not show the dimensions they would normally show in the examination. Furthermore, their structure may also have changed.

This is a purely descriptive term, which per se does not allow any conclusions to be drawn about the cause. Only the actual condition is determined. However, often there are still causes for the swelling, such as cysts or bleeding. The swelling is a non-specific inflammatory sign of the ovaries, which must always be evaluated in conjunction with accompanying symptoms and further examinations.

Causes of swollen ovaries

Swelling of the ovaries can have various causes. Most important for the search for the cause are the complaints of the woman. The swelling usually does not reveal what is behind it by its appearance.

A common cause of swelling of the ovaries is bacterial infection. Around 1% of young women experience this. Not only the ovaries are usually affected, but also the fallopian tubes.

This is called bacterial pelvic inflammatory disease. The most common pathogens that cause such swelling of the ovaries are gonococci and chlamydia, which are transmitted during sexual intercourse. In principle, however, other pathogens such as E are also possible.

coli. Risk factors include frequent partner change, the contraceptive coil, the puerperium and menstruation. The risk of such an infection is also increased after gynaecological operations.

Typical are severe abdominal pain, fever, nausea and even vomiting. Rapid antibiotic therapy is necessary because of complications such as sterility or even the formation of an abscess. Less frequently, cysts lead to swelling of the ovaries.

They can become very large and sometimes lead to bleeding. The ovaries may look swollen in the ultrasound image. Another equally rare cause of swelling of the ovaries can be a malignant change – i.e. cancer.

This is usually not noticeable in the early stages, as there is no pain or similar symptoms. Only in the course of the disease can symptoms such as a feeling of pressure in the abdomen, constipation, fever, night sweats or swelling of the lymph nodes appear. However, these symptoms are very unspecific and also occur in other diseases.

Another possible cause of swelling of the ovaries is ectopic pregnancy. Typical here is that only one ovary is swollen. The swelling is also different from the type of swelling caused by an inflammation.

Rather, a kind of ring-shaped structure around the fallopian tube can be seen. In combination with a positive pregnancy test, this finding points the way forward for an ectopic pregnancy. Therapy is urgently required, as the fallopian tube can burst and life-threatening bleeding can occur later.