Women hear the term “ovarian cyst” with a certain amount of dread for many reasons. These especially affect women in their child bearing years because they immediately fear that these cysts might make them infertile. That’s actually far from the truth. While this may seem scary, there are a few common cysts that are nothing to worry about.

Most ovarian cysts aren’t dangerous at all. They’re simply filled with fluid and will dissipate on their own. Other types develop during the different phases of the menstrual cycle and are barely noticeable and harmless. Even though most ovarian cysts are nothing to worry about, there are those that carry painful symptoms and can be cancerous.

In order to know when to worry or not, you need to understand the different types of ovarian cysts, what causes them, their symptoms and how they are treated. The first think you need to know is that there are 2 main types of ovarian cysts: Functional and abnormal.

Functional cysts develop during the menstrual period and are harmless. Most of the time women don’t realize that they have functional cysts. There aren’t any symptoms and they disappear by themselves after a short time. They are also known as simple cysts and are part of the follicular, corpus luteum and hemorrhagic cysts.

Follicular cysts develop when the egg isn’t released during ovulation. A corpus luteum and hemorrhagic cysts may cause some pelvic pain. The corpus luteum cysts cause no symptoms. Hemorrhagic cysts are functional cysts that develop when blood is released. The bursting of these cysts causes blood to leak and brings about a burning sensation in the pelvis. You can choose to contact your doctor if you have these symptoms.

The second kind of ovarian cyst is called pathological ovarian cysts. These include endometriosis and tumors. They occur in the ovary but have nothing to do with ovulation. These can also be cancerous. As these cysts are bigger than functional cysts, they bring more pain. They are usually examined though a biopsy or ultrasound. If they are felt to be harmful, they’ll be removed.

The Dermoid cyst is a rather rare ovarian cyst formed from a germ cell. These cysts are composed of hair, fat, skin, teeth, fluid and glands. When the Dermoid cysts become too large, they can block the ovary’s blood supply. That’s why doctors feel these should be surgically removed.

Not all types of ovarian cysts require surgery. Many of them fade away on their own. For those that aren’t cancerous, there are natural remedies available to try.