4 Facts About Twisted Ovaries
When you hear of twisted ovary what comes to mind? Ovarian torsion (adnexal torsion) is an infrequent but significant cause of acute lower abdominal pain in women. This condition is usually associated with reduced venous return from the ovary as a result of stromal edema, internal hemorrhage, hyperstimulation, or a mass.
FERTILITY TREATMENTS
Those meds designed to help you get pregnant have a tendency to make your ovaries get bigger, and larger ovaries are more likely to twist, says Mira Aubuchon, M.D., an ob/gyn and fertility specialist with the Missouri Center for Reproductive Medicine.
To minimize the risk of torsion, it ius advisable for women to do some exercising but to avoid workouts that involve jumping or bouncing.
THE PILL CAN YOU MAKE YOU GET TWISTED
Along with lowering your risk for some cancers and clearing up your skin, birth control pills and other forms of hormonal contraception can help prevent cysts on your ovaries, which in turn makes you less likely to experience the exquisite torture of getting them twisted.
LENGTH MATTERS
You know how some people have freakishly short fingers? Or sky-high legs that stretch on for days? The same size variation can occur in the fallopian tubes, and Aubuchon says that “an extra-long fallopian tube may make [the ovary] more prone to twisting.”
THERE’S NO “GOOD” SIDE
Ovarian torsion is more likely to occur on the right side—but if you show up in the ER complaining of pain in your lower right abdomen, the doc will probably do a CT to rule out appendicitis. “In the ER, we think of the things that’ll kill you first,” says Hoaglin.
