I had a hysterectomy 10 years ago. Over the last four years, I have lost both ovaries. I keep getting cysts on the left side, and I'm told this is "ovarian remnant syndrome." I can't find any information on this. Can you help?

Dusty

Ovarian remnant syndrome occurs when a small piece of ovary is left behind during surgical removal of the ovaries. This tissue produces hormones, and cysts may form there as well. Chronic pelvic pain may result, not only if cysts form, but also because this tissue tends to be abnormally scarred to the pelvic side wall.

Surgery is the mainstay of treatment, although medications to suppress ovarian function, namely Lupron, can provide relief. Because Lupron can only be used for a relatively short time, the effect may only be temporary, unless you are close to menopause.

Surgery to remove the ovarian remnant is frequently difficult. Because of the dense scarring to the pelvic sidewall, injury to the ureter is not uncommon. It is important that an experienced gynecologist do the surgery. In many cases, the procedure requires an open approach (which involves a sizable incision on the abdomen) rather than laparoscopy (which uses miniaturized instruments and requires only a few tiny slits).