Infertility | 30-year-old woman nearly became infertile after 7cm chocolate cyst was removed due to menstrual pain; the cyst disappeared after six months of treatment with a traditional Chinese med...

Chocolate cysts are a common condition in women, a type of endometriosis. Besides causing severe menstrual cramps, chocolate cysts can also lead to infertility. Registered Chinese medicine practitioner Wong Ching-ching, in an interview with Sing Tao Daily, explained what chocolate cysts are and addressed common misconceptions about whether they should be removed. She also shared two cases of chocolate cysts. One case involved a 30-year-old patient with severe menstrual cramps who had a nearly 7cm cyst removed. The cyst recurred after removal, but disappeared after treatment with Chinese medicine.

Case 1 : A 30-year-old patient developed a 7cm chocolate tumor.

Registered Chinese medicine practitioner Huang Jingjing said that she once encountered a 30-year-old patient, Ms. L (pseudonym), who suffered from severe menstrual pain and was found to have a nearly 7cm cyst. She underwent surgery to remove it, but it recurred two years later, and the cyst was even larger than before. She tried to receive Chinese medicine treatment in the hope of improving her condition.

Click on the image to learn about the 30-year-old patient's condition and treatment:

Case 2 : A 45-year-old patient developed a 6cm chocolate tumor.

In addition, Dr. Huang Jingjing also encountered a 45-year-old patient, Ms. Y (pseudonym), who was about to enter menopause. She had a nearly 6cm chocolate cyst and hoped to use conservative treatment. After receiving traditional Chinese medicine treatment, the cyst shrank.

Click on the image to learn about the 45-year-old patient's condition and treatment:

Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment for Endometriosis

Registered Chinese medicine practitioner Huang Jingjing said in an interview that many patients choose Chinese medicine treatment because they are worried about the side effects of Western medicine, such as inability to conceive, weight gain, depression, and abnormal vaginal bleeding. She believes that Chinese medicine treatment is especially suitable for young women who want to improve dysmenorrhea and plan to conceive.

Click the image to learn about Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment methods:

What is a chocolate tumor?

What does a chocolate cyst look like? Where is it located? Why do chocolate cysts cause discomfort such as menstrual cramps and back pain? Dr. Huang Jingjing explains as follows:

Can chocolate tumors affect pregnancy?

Many people worry that chocolate tumors can affect fertility. Dr. Huang Jingjing, in an interview, pointed out that endometriosis can affect the success rate of pregnancy, but many patients can still conceive successfully. She explained that whether it affects the pregnancy rate depends on a comprehensive assessment of the severity of the endometriosis, the location of the endometriosis, the patient's age, and whether there are symptoms such as menstrual cramps and painful intercourse.

She mentioned treating a 32-year-old patient with a chocolate tumor who wanted to conceive as soon as possible. The tumor, only 3cm in size, was located on one of her ovaries, and caused mild abdominal bloating upon palpation. Her menstrual cycles were regular, and after acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine, her menstrual cramps lessened, and the abdominal bloating gradually disappeared after acupuncture. Therefore, Dr. Huang advised the patient to conceive naturally, and she became pregnant in less than three months of treatment.

Should chocolate mas be removed?

If you have an endometrioma, should it be removed to avoid future problems? Dr. Wong points out that many women, even after being diagnosed with endometriosis during a gynecological exam, have lesions smaller than 3cm in diameter, experience no menstrual pain or other discomfort, and are not in a hurry to get pregnant. As for patients over 45 years old, because they are about to enter menopause, doctors may not recommend surgical removal. They will mostly recommend conservative treatment, such as taking hormone medication to cause the endometrium to shrink and menstruation to stop, thereby controlling the size of the lesion.

However, will leaving a cholecystitis in the body during menopause harm a woman's health? Dr. Huang explains that for women who do not experience any discomfort during menstruation, their menstrual flow will gradually become less frequent and eventually stop after entering menopause. The cholecystitis, which is composed of endometrial tissue, will also tend to shrink due to the cessation of menstruation and will gradually be absorbed by the body, generally without the need for additional treatment. However, if the cholecystitis is larger than 5cm and there are symptoms such as abdominal pain, abdominal mass, abnormal bleeding, and painful intercourse, it is recommended to have a follow-up medical check-up every six months or a year. Although the probability is very low, cholecystitis can still become malignant.

The influence of lifestyle and diet on endometriosis

Dr. Huang Jingjing stated in an interview that the formation of endometriosis is not directly related to our diet and lifestyle. However, women who prefer raw or cold foods tend to experience more severe menstrual cramps than other women.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that cold and damp foods can damage the spleen and stomach, and also cause blood stasis, which can worsen symptoms of blood stasis and potentially exacerbate endometriosis, causing the lesions to enlarge. Dr. Wong does not recommend that women frequently eat desserts, seafood, or fatty and greasy foods, as these may aggravate inflammatory responses and worsen endometriosis symptoms. She emphasizes that women, especially those planning to conceive, need to avoid cold and raw foods and reduce their intake of sweets.

Reporter: Ricca