An ovarian cyst is a sac or pouch that develops in or on the ovary. The contents of the cyst are usually fluid but can also be solid material, or a combination of both. Cysts may grow quietly and go unnoticed until they are found on routine examination. However, if they become large enough, the following symptoms may arise:

- Intense abdominal pain

- Menstrual changes such as late periods, bleeding between periods or irregular periods

- Heavy menstrual flow

- Infertility

- Internal bleeding

- Severe menstrual cramps

- Pain with sexual intercourse

- Pain during a bowel movement

- Weight gain

The most common way to deal with ovarian cysts is the conventional medical approach.

Conventional treatment options are limited, and they all fail to take account of the stress involved for the patient. Therefore, more and more women are turning towards alternate forms of treatments for curing ovarian cysts.

The Conventional medical approach to ovarian cysts is very simple. Firstly, your medical practitioner will try to recognize the symptoms. There are certain textbook symptoms of ovarian cysts, which generally include those listed above. However, sometimes, ovarian cysts do not give rise to any symptoms, and are only discovered inadvertently during routine gynaecological examination.

Secondly, he will confirm his diagnosis. There are different ways of diagnosing ovarian cysts. A conventional doctor will use some or all of: endovaginal ultrasound (using a probe inserted into the vagina), CT scanning (a method of examining body organs by scanning them with X rays), laparoscopy (a procedure that allows your surgeon to examine the fallopian tubes, ovaries and womb), blood tests and many other forms of tests to confirm his suspicions. Even before treatment, the diagnosis process itself can be very traumatic.

Thirdly, the treatment. The treatment for ovarian cysts will depend upon the type of the cyst and its nature. The 3 conventional options available are:

1. Wait and see: If the cyst is benign, and pain free, little or no treatment is required, and a wait and see approach will be adopted. Monitoring of the condition will continue using some or all of the standard diagnostic tests.

2. Birth control pills: Some doctors believe birth control pills repress ovarian cysts, and can also reduce the size of the follicles and so help to reduce the size of existing cysts.

3. Surgery: If the cysts are persistent or increasing in size, then surgery is likely to be recommended. Surgery will again depend upon the type of cyst and the resulting complications. Usually, the cyst is all that is removed. However, in a significant minority of cases, the ovaries may be removed to get rid of the cyst.

The conventional medical approach to ovarian cysts has several problems. Birth control pills have many potential side effects, including weight gain, mood swings, nausea, and headaches. Also, the effectiveness of the birth control pill as a treatment for an existing cyst is greatly disputed, particularly outside conventional medicine.

Surgery obviously always carries its own risks, and there can be particular risks associated with any surgery on the reproductive organs. Also, conventional treatment does not fully cure ovarian cysts and the surgery may actually increase the chances of ovarian cysts in the long run.

For these reasons, conventional medical treatment is often not considered to be an appropriate form of treatment for ovarian cysts. A multidimensional approach is required to deal with the disease. This can be provided only by a holistic approach. The holistic approach targets the root causes of the disease rather than the symptoms, and so is a much more effective cure for ovarian cysts.

Since the holistic approach targets the key causes of the condition, the woman can recover quickly. The approach is comprehensive and rather than a generic solution, it treats every case individually. Because of this, no matter how severe the problem or the complications, any woman suffering with ovarian cysts can be cured.

Conventional medical treatment often fails in this respect. The underlying problem must be solved for any lasting remedy. Until this is achieved, the problem will remain. The holistic approach is the best form of treatment for permanently removing ovarian cysts.