Corpus luteal cysts are a common occurrence in pregnancy and can be a source of confusion and anxiety for expectant mothers. As the name implies, a corpus luteal cyst is a type of cyst that forms in the corpus luteum, a section of the ovary that is responsible for producing progesterone during pregnancy. They can range in size from microscopic to several centimeters and are typically benign. While the majority of corpus luteal cysts resolve on their own, there are certain risks that pregnant women should be aware of, including the potential for complications or premature delivery. This blog post will provide an overview of corpus luteal cysts, including how they form, how they are typically managed, and potential risks associated with them. By understanding the causes, symptoms, and management of corpus luteal cysts, pregnant women can feel more informed and empowered to make decisions about their health.
What are some common tests to check the health of my corpus luteum?
Often, during pelvic examinations or as part of routine imaging during pregnancy, medical professionals find corpus luteum cysts. Your doctor might recommend the following tests if they believe that problems with your corpus luteum are impairing your fertility:
What Is a Corpus Luteum Cyst?
Simply put, a corpus luteum cyst is a cyst that develops within the corpus luteum. What’s that, you ask? Let’s review how ovulation works.
Every cycle, your body produces hormones that cause follicles—aka tiny fluid-filled sacs, each containing an immature egg—in one of your ovaries to start maturing. However, only one of the developing follicles will go on to form and then release a fully mature egg. Once it has released the egg, the empty follicle then transforms into the corpus luteum, a ball of cells that’s responsible for producing the hormone progesterone, explains Melissa R. Peskin-Stolze, MD, an ob-gyn and assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology and women’s health at Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
If an egg is fertilized and you become pregnant, hormones stimulate the corpus luteum to secrete progesterone until the placenta develops and takes over progesterone production for the remainder of the pregnancy, says Camaryn Chrisman Robbins, MD, a Washington University ob-gyn at the Women & Infants Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
The corpus luteum degrades and is shed along with your uterine lining in your subsequent period if you are not pregnant during that cycle. Related Video.
The corpus luteum can occasionally develop a cyst that is filled with fluid or blood. They can occur whether or not you conceive during the cycle and occur when the corpus luteum does not break down but instead continues to grow after releasing the egg, according to Peskin-Stolze.
If you have a corpus luteum cyst, you should be aware that they are almost always completely benign and will go away on their own. This is true even if you have a corpus luteum cyst while pregnant because they almost never endanger the fetus.
What are the common conditions and disorders that affect the corpus luteum?
Your corpus luteum may occasionally continue to grow rather than degrade as it should. Your corpus luteum fills with fluid as a result, developing a corpus luteum cyst. When your corpus luteum doesn’t produce enough progesterone for the uterine lining to thicken, it develops a corpus luteum defect, also known as a luteal phase defect. Or, even if your body is producing progesterone, it may not be thickening the uterine lining as it ought to.
Corpus luteum cysts:
Your ability to become pregnant or give birth to a child could be hampered by a corpus luteum defect. There isn’t a single definite factor that causes it, though it has been connected to a number of circumstances, traits, and behaviors. These include:
FAQ
Does corpus luteum cyst hurt pregnancy?
Can you feel the corpus luteum in early pregnancy?
Can corpus luteum cyst cause positive pregnancy test?