About 6% of women will have an ovarian cyst after menopause.  Factors such as age, menopausal status, size, and type of an ovarian cyst will determine the proper management of such ovarian cysts.  This information in most cases will predict whether the cysts are benign (functional), or likely to be cancerous. One option for benign cysts is needle aspiration.

Needle aspiration of ovarian cysts can sometimes be performed in the physician’s office using ultrasound guidance. The needle aspiration can be made using local anesthetic only, which is less involved than surgical operative intervention, and a patient does not require a hospital admission. Alternatively, aspiration can be done surgically, by either a laparoscopic or classical surgical approach.

There is always the risk of side effects and injury linked to the management of ovarian cysts by either medication or surgery. In the field of assisted reproductive technology (ART), and for patients having ovarian cysts after a tubal reversal, a needle aspiration is often attempted prior to a surgical intervention.  If the cysts are present during the tubal ligation reversal, they can be aspirated or removed at the time of tubal ligation reversal.