Scarleteen

Hi Again!
I was wondering if you know or could direct me to good information about ovarian cysts?
I am having some pain in my left ovary and a friend (who is a doctor) mentioned ovarian cysts? But apparently these show similar symptoms to pregnancy?
Thank you!

Hi there Hannah,

If you're interested in reading more about ovarian cysts, we tend to refer people to sites like those of the Boston Women's Health Collective (they wrote Our Bodies, Ourselves), or the Mayo Clinic. However, if you're feeling nervous about the possibility of pregnancy or having an ovarian cyst, web research may not be helpful, and may in fact make you feel worse. Do you feel like anxiety comes up for you about the possibility of pregnancy symptoms?

In terms of your particular situation, persistent pain in or around the ovaries is the type of thing that should probably be checked out by a healthcare provider. Is that something that you might be able to do?

I checked in with a doctor I see regularly and she said it sounded like an ovarian cyst and it was something we should monitor.
I do have anxiety when it comes to sex and I am working with my partner to feel more comfortable.
I think the ovary pain is scaring me because it's during a month when I am currently having a pregnancy scare. I have also never felt pressure in my ovaries before. My over stressed brain connected it to a sign of pregnancy.

Good! I'm glad to hear that you were able to check in with her, and that a provider has your situation in mind. I think it's important for you to also keep in mind that the possibility of this being a symptom of pregnancy is something that she would think about, because she's trained to think about all the different possible explanations for the pain. And having thought through them, she gave you the expert opinion that it's probably a cyst. So then it becomes about trusting her opinion rather than what your anxiety may be telling you.

As you may have read on our boards, we do have a pretty strict policy (Pregnancy Fear and Anxiety Policy)about discussing pregnancy scares, so that is something to keep in mind for the future. But we can definitely talk about strategies for managing anxiety, and thinking about how different sexual activities may or may not contribute to that anxiety. So when you say that you're working with your partner, what kinds of things have you been doing?

A couple of other important links that may be helpful:
Chicken Soup for the Pregnancy Symptom Freakout's Soul
Pregnancy Scare Resources

Thank you. I understand your pregnancy fear and anxiety policy. I know that I have a minuscule risk however I was still anxious. We used a condom however he did not leave space at the tip ( to the best of my knowledge ) and he did not withdraw after ejaculation for about 30seconds to a minute. Therefore we did not have a perfect use scenario. However on another thread a volunteer wrote that as long as the condom did not slip or break you can assume it did its job.
My partner has been great about listening to my anxiety and comforting me. I myself plan on making an appointment to speak with a psychologist. I also have an appointment to get the birth control implant.