The aim of this guideline is to provide information, based on clinical evidence where available, on the investigation and management of postmenopausal women with known ovarian cysts.
Ovarian cysts are common in postmenopausal women, although the prevalence is lower than in premenopausal women. Of 20 000 healthy postmenopausal women screened in the Prostate,Lung,Colon and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial, 21.2% had abnormal ovarian morphology, either simple or complex. The greater use of ultrasound and other radiological investigations means that an increasing proportion of these cysts will come to the attention of gynaecologists. Ovarian cysts may be discovered either as a result of screening, as a result of investigations performed for a suspected pelvic mass or incidentally following investigations carried out for other reasons. Before ultrasound was routinely available, the finding of a pelvic mass or a palpable ovary in a
postmenopausal woman was considered to be an indication for surgery. However, the large numbers of ovarian cysts now being discovered by ultrasound and the low risk of malignancy of many of these cysts suggests that they need not all be managed surgically. The further investigation and management of these
women has implications for morbidity,mortality, resource allocation and tertiary referral patterns and, hence, provides the need for clear guidelines in this area.
This guideline can be downloaded as a pdf using the link below.
