Ovarian cysts are an extremely common condition in women of childbearing age, and not uncommon in women past menopause. In fact, most women of childbearing age have ovarian cysts that produce no symptoms. However, when the cysts become large or inflamed pain is often experienced.
There are several types of ovarian cysts, and they can cause different symptoms. Diagnosis is made by ultrasonic, MRI, or CT methods. Often a combination of techniques is used to obtain a more definitive diagnosis, and rarely laproscopic procedures are used. Ovarian cysts are divided into two broad categories: functional cysts and nonfunctional cysts. Functional cysts are those that are not associated with any disease process, whilst nonfunctional cysts are definitely associated with a disease process.