Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSelf-ChecksPhysical ExaminationsLabs and TestsImagingDifferential Diagnosis
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Self-Checks
Physical Examinations
Labs and Tests
Imaging
Differential Diagnosis
Ovarian cystsmay be diagnosed during your annual pelvic examination or through other diagnostic tests, including an ultrasound,laparoscopy, and blood tests.
This article discusses how physical exams, laboratory blood tests, and imaging help diagnose ovarian cysts and other conditions that may cause similar symptoms.
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Self-Checks/At-Home Testing
There are no at-home tests or self-checks that can diagnose ovarian cysts. However, being aware of thesymptoms of ovarian cystscan help you communicate concerns to your healthcare provider and lead to an accurate diagnosis. Some of the more common symptoms of ovarian cysts are:
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, talk to your healthcare provider to be properly assessed.
Several physical examinations can help your healthcare provider make an accurate diagnosis.
Pelvic Exam
Pelvic exams are conducted as routine preventive care during gynecologic checkups or can be used to diagnose certain conditions, including ovarian cysts.
During apelvic exam, your healthcare provider will evaluate internal and external organs in your pelvis, including the vagina, vulva, uterus, cervix, ovaries, rectum, and fallopian tubes.
Anobstetrician-gynecologist (ob-gyn), physician’s assistant, or nurse practitioner may perform a pelvic exam.
What to ExpectThe part of the pelvic exam in which your provider checks for cysts is called the bimanual exam. They will insert two fingers into the vagina and place pressure on your abdomen, feeling for abnormalities.This physical examination of the ovaries can detect ovarian cysts and other conditions, such asfibroid tumors.
What to Expect
The part of the pelvic exam in which your provider checks for cysts is called the bimanual exam. They will insert two fingers into the vagina and place pressure on your abdomen, feeling for abnormalities.This physical examination of the ovaries can detect ovarian cysts and other conditions, such asfibroid tumors.
The part of the pelvic exam in which your provider checks for cysts is called the bimanual exam. They will insert two fingers into the vagina and place pressure on your abdomen, feeling for abnormalities.
This physical examination of the ovaries can detect ovarian cysts and other conditions, such asfibroid tumors.
Laparoscopy
Laparoscopyis a minimally invasive surgical procedure that is performed undergeneral anesthesia. A pelvic laparoscopy can be performed to detect and remove ovarian cysts.
During a pelvic laparoscopy, a camera is inserted through a small incision near the belly button, allowing healthcare providers to visually examine the ovaries. If cysts are detected, they may be removed during the same procedure.
Ovarian cysts can’t be diagnosed through blood tests, but your healthcare provider may want to order blood tests to rule out other conditions.
Blood Test
Though ovarian cysts cannot generally be diagnosed through blood tests, certain types (i.e., malignant orcancerous cysts) may require blood work. If your healthcare provider suspects your cysts indicateovarian cancer, they may order a test that measures the level of cancer antigen-125 (CA-125) in your blood.
Ultrasonographyis considered the gold standard in diagnosing ovarian cysts.
Ultrasound
Your healthcare provider will perform atransvaginal ultrasoundto help diagnose ovarian cysts. In this procedure, a wand-like instrument called a transducer is inserted in the vagina, emitting sound waves that produce an image called a sonogram. A healthcare provider will interpret the scan and make a diagnosis, including the type, size, shape, and location of the ovarian cyst.
While a transvaginal ultrasound can cause some discomfort, it is a relatively painless and low-risk procedure that usually lasts only a few minutes.
Pelvic Pain in Women and Men
Summary
Ovarian cysts are a relatively common issue for women of reproductive age. They may be diagnosed during a routine pelvic exam, through laparoscopic surgery, or a transvaginal ultrasound.
10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Farghaly SA.Current diagnosis and management of ovarian cysts.Clin Exp Obstet Gynecol. 2014;41(6):609-612.Bates CK, Carroll N, Potter J.The challenging pelvic examination.J Gen Intern Med. 2011;26(6):651–657. doi:10.1007/s11606-010-1610-8Nowak-Psiorz I, Ciećwież SM, Brodowska A, et al.Treatment of ovarian endometrial cysts in the context of recurrence and fertility.Adv Clin Exp Med. 2019;28(3):407-413. doi:10.17219/acem/90767Dochez V, Caillon H, Vaucel E, et al.Biomarkers and algorithms for diagnosis of ovarian cancer: CA125, HE4, RMI and ROMA, a review.J Ovarian Res. 2019;12(1):28. doi:10.1186/s13048-019-0503-7Sayasneh A, Ekechi C, Ferrara L, et al.The characteristic ultrasound features of specific types of ovarian pathology (review).Int J Oncol. 2015;46(2):445-458. doi:10.3892/ijo.2014.2764Curry A, Williams T, Penny ML.Pelvic inflammatory disease: diagnosis, management, and prevention.Am Fam Phsyician. 2019;100(6):357-364.Bulun SE, Yilmaz BD, Sison C, et al.Endometriosis.Endocr Rev. 2019;40(4):1048-1079. doi:10.1210/er.2018-00242Hendriks E, Rosenberg R, Prine L.Ectopic pregnancy: diagnosis and management.Am Fam Physician. 2020;101(10):599-606.Bhangu A, Søreide K, Di Saverio S, et al.Acute appendicitis: modern understanding of pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management[published correction appears in Lancet. 2017;390(10104):1736].Lancet. 2015;386(10000):1278-1287. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00275-5Gupta K, Grigoryan L, Trautner B.Urinary tract infection.Ann Intern Med. 2017;167(7):ITC49-ITC64. doi:10.7326/AITC201710030
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Farghaly SA.Current diagnosis and management of ovarian cysts.Clin Exp Obstet Gynecol. 2014;41(6):609-612.Bates CK, Carroll N, Potter J.The challenging pelvic examination.J Gen Intern Med. 2011;26(6):651–657. doi:10.1007/s11606-010-1610-8Nowak-Psiorz I, Ciećwież SM, Brodowska A, et al.Treatment of ovarian endometrial cysts in the context of recurrence and fertility.Adv Clin Exp Med. 2019;28(3):407-413. doi:10.17219/acem/90767Dochez V, Caillon H, Vaucel E, et al.Biomarkers and algorithms for diagnosis of ovarian cancer: CA125, HE4, RMI and ROMA, a review.J Ovarian Res. 2019;12(1):28. doi:10.1186/s13048-019-0503-7Sayasneh A, Ekechi C, Ferrara L, et al.The characteristic ultrasound features of specific types of ovarian pathology (review).Int J Oncol. 2015;46(2):445-458. doi:10.3892/ijo.2014.2764Curry A, Williams T, Penny ML.Pelvic inflammatory disease: diagnosis, management, and prevention.Am Fam Phsyician. 2019;100(6):357-364.Bulun SE, Yilmaz BD, Sison C, et al.Endometriosis.Endocr Rev. 2019;40(4):1048-1079. doi:10.1210/er.2018-00242Hendriks E, Rosenberg R, Prine L.Ectopic pregnancy: diagnosis and management.Am Fam Physician. 2020;101(10):599-606.Bhangu A, Søreide K, Di Saverio S, et al.Acute appendicitis: modern understanding of pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management[published correction appears in Lancet. 2017;390(10104):1736].Lancet. 2015;386(10000):1278-1287. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00275-5Gupta K, Grigoryan L, Trautner B.Urinary tract infection.Ann Intern Med. 2017;167(7):ITC49-ITC64. doi:10.7326/AITC201710030
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Farghaly SA.Current diagnosis and management of ovarian cysts.Clin Exp Obstet Gynecol. 2014;41(6):609-612.Bates CK, Carroll N, Potter J.The challenging pelvic examination.J Gen Intern Med. 2011;26(6):651–657. doi:10.1007/s11606-010-1610-8Nowak-Psiorz I, Ciećwież SM, Brodowska A, et al.Treatment of ovarian endometrial cysts in the context of recurrence and fertility.Adv Clin Exp Med. 2019;28(3):407-413. doi:10.17219/acem/90767Dochez V, Caillon H, Vaucel E, et al.Biomarkers and algorithms for diagnosis of ovarian cancer: CA125, HE4, RMI and ROMA, a review.J Ovarian Res. 2019;12(1):28. doi:10.1186/s13048-019-0503-7Sayasneh A, Ekechi C, Ferrara L, et al.The characteristic ultrasound features of specific types of ovarian pathology (review).Int J Oncol. 2015;46(2):445-458. doi:10.3892/ijo.2014.2764Curry A, Williams T, Penny ML.Pelvic inflammatory disease: diagnosis, management, and prevention.Am Fam Phsyician. 2019;100(6):357-364.Bulun SE, Yilmaz BD, Sison C, et al.Endometriosis.Endocr Rev. 2019;40(4):1048-1079. doi:10.1210/er.2018-00242Hendriks E, Rosenberg R, Prine L.Ectopic pregnancy: diagnosis and management.Am Fam Physician. 2020;101(10):599-606.Bhangu A, Søreide K, Di Saverio S, et al.Acute appendicitis: modern understanding of pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management[published correction appears in Lancet. 2017;390(10104):1736].Lancet. 2015;386(10000):1278-1287. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00275-5Gupta K, Grigoryan L, Trautner B.Urinary tract infection.Ann Intern Med. 2017;167(7):ITC49-ITC64. doi:10.7326/AITC201710030
Farghaly SA.Current diagnosis and management of ovarian cysts.Clin Exp Obstet Gynecol. 2014;41(6):609-612.
Bates CK, Carroll N, Potter J.The challenging pelvic examination.J Gen Intern Med. 2011;26(6):651–657. doi:10.1007/s11606-010-1610-8
Nowak-Psiorz I, Ciećwież SM, Brodowska A, et al.Treatment of ovarian endometrial cysts in the context of recurrence and fertility.Adv Clin Exp Med. 2019;28(3):407-413. doi:10.17219/acem/90767
Dochez V, Caillon H, Vaucel E, et al.Biomarkers and algorithms for diagnosis of ovarian cancer: CA125, HE4, RMI and ROMA, a review.J Ovarian Res. 2019;12(1):28. doi:10.1186/s13048-019-0503-7
Sayasneh A, Ekechi C, Ferrara L, et al.The characteristic ultrasound features of specific types of ovarian pathology (review).Int J Oncol. 2015;46(2):445-458. doi:10.3892/ijo.2014.2764
Curry A, Williams T, Penny ML.Pelvic inflammatory disease: diagnosis, management, and prevention.Am Fam Phsyician. 2019;100(6):357-364.
Bulun SE, Yilmaz BD, Sison C, et al.Endometriosis.Endocr Rev. 2019;40(4):1048-1079. doi:10.1210/er.2018-00242
Hendriks E, Rosenberg R, Prine L.Ectopic pregnancy: diagnosis and management.Am Fam Physician. 2020;101(10):599-606.
Bhangu A, Søreide K, Di Saverio S, et al.Acute appendicitis: modern understanding of pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management[published correction appears in Lancet. 2017;390(10104):1736].Lancet. 2015;386(10000):1278-1287. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00275-5
Gupta K, Grigoryan L, Trautner B.Urinary tract infection.Ann Intern Med. 2017;167(7):ITC49-ITC64. doi:10.7326/AITC201710030
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