How I Healed My Body From Chronic Ovarian Cysts
In my early 20’s, I suddenly developed chronic ovarian cysts out of the blue. (Read more about My Journey with Ovarian Cysts here.) Ovarian cysts are solid or fluid-filled sacs that form on the ovaries. When women ovulate, a cyst forms over the egg and ruptures to release the egg every month. They’re usually pretty minor and we do not usually feel them—but for some women, the cysts do not rupture each month and they slowly collect fluid. Eventually, the cysts can become so large that they either rupture and cause tremendous pain or damage to the ovary, or they must be removed surgically.
There are four main types of cysts: functional, dermoid, cystadenoma, and endometrioma. Cysts on the ovaries can also be benign or cancerous. Fortunately, the ovarian cysts that I developed were non-cancerous, simple cysts. Over the course of four years, I would not only develop large simple ovarian cysts, but they would often rupture every few months, landing me in and out of hospital. I even underwent surgery in June 2019 to remove a large ovarian cyst, and my body took over a year to fully recover.
During this period of time, I lived in New York City and worked as a writer and editor at various magazines. In short, I was extremely burnt out, riddled with anxiety, and had no concept of true self-care due to my lifestyle. On top of working an upwards of 10 hours a day and weekends, I would run 6-8 miles a day, did not fuel my body properly with nutrient dense foods, and slept very little. It is no surprise to me now that I became so sick. Prior to moving to NYC, I was a healthy young woman with no history of hormone imbalance or chronic illness, aside from anxiety. After my first ovarian cysts rupture in December 2017, my doctors informed me that the only real solution for preventing ovarian cysts was birth control. I had never been on birth control and personally did not feel inclined to go on it. I understand that other women may experience reproductive conditions in which this is a suitable treatment, but I personally wanted to uncover what changed within my body to suddenly develop severe hormone imbalance and ovarian cysts. I wanted to know the root cause, instead of relying on a pill.
So, I decided to “risk my future fertility” (a common phrase told to me by my doctors and family) and health in exchange for listening to my intuition and my body’s message with the cysts. This brought me on a deep journey of healing and expansion that I could never have imagined. I went from completely in fear of my body and health to empowered, happy, balanced, and healthy. Note: The following approaches are how I personally found healing within my body. Every single body is different. This is my path that I found by listening to my own body, and it is not medical advice. If you believe you have reproductive issues, please consult with your doctor.
Alternative Therapies That Helped Me Find Healing
Throughout my 3.5 year journey with chronic ovarian cysts, my approach to healing evolved so much. With every rupture that passed, I surrendered deeper into myself and reached a whole new level of expansion that I didn't even know existed. When I experienced my first rupture in December 2017, I couldn’t even name the four cycles of menstruation (menstruation, follicular, ovulation, and luteal.) So, my first step was to get educated about the female body. Then, I explored a range of alternative therapies, which I have outlined below:
I read WomenCode and The Happy Hormone Diet. These two books are integral in learning about how female hormones work, what can cause them to be imbalanced, and how to modify your lifestyle to support the healthy fluctuations of your hormones within a 4-week cycle. I also took Flo Living’s Virtual Hormone Program, which included a membership access and online community. The program uses functional nutrition to balance the endocrine cycle. As a vegetarian of nearly 10 years, I decided to go plant-based, switch to natural home, beauty, and cleaning products, and take supplements to try and shrink my cysts. (I am no longer plant-based—but I am mostly plant-based. I follow an intuitive diet absent of meat, dairy, gluten, caffeine, and most processed foods)
I tried Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and acupuncture: TCM is an ancient system of health and wellness that focuses on sustaining Qi, or life force energy, in the body. Any imbalance of Qi results in illness in the body. After some testing, my practitioner identified an imbalance of estrogen (wayyyy too much estrogen), high levels of cortisol, and damp kidneys in my body. She put me on an herbal supplementation program and I visited her bi-weekly for acupuncture treatments. Acupuncture is an alternative therapy that involves inserting thin needles along specific points of the body with the intention of manipulating Qi.
I took up yoga:
After having surgery to remove a 5 cm. cyst in June 2019, my body took over a year to recover. Prior to surgery, I would run 6 to 8 miles a day before or after working for an upwards of 10 hours a day. Whenever I would attempt to run after surgery, my abdomen would bloat and feel in pain. I initially took up yoga as a way to stay active, but it became a way of life. The practice of yoga brought me back into my body, re-centered my mind, and taught me how to slow down and look within. (So much more on this to come!)
I received reiki therapy: Reiki therapy is an ancient Japanese form of healing in which a practitioner or master channels life force energy. I’ve been receiving reiki for years for anxiety, and there has truly been no better form of healing for me than reiki. Reiki allowed me to break down the walls of my trauma, discover the energetic causes of my ovarian cysts, and become empowered to make positive changes to find healing. It was a slow process of deprogramming with reiki throughout my journey with ovarian cysts until I finally found healing, and I only found healing when I was truly ready. And the journey of healing never really ends—I am very much still on the path for a multitude of reasons, just not for ovarian cysts specifically.
I made castor oil packs a regular practice: Castor oil is an ancient ingredient that has been used for healing for centuries due to its antimicrobial and detoxifying properties. Some naturopaths and holistic practitioners believe that castor oil can shrink ovarian cysts and fibroids. To create a castor oil pack, purchase organic castor oil, a cotton flannel, and herbs to support the womb such as calendula, rose petals, lavender, and whatever else is calling you. Place a few squirts of castor oil and along with a pinch of herbs on the cotton flannel and lay it on your abdomen where your cyst may be. Then, put a heating pad over the cotton flannel and cover everything with a towel. I like to send reiki and healing into the pack for extra support. Remove after 15-20 minutes or whenever you feel called to.
I rewrote my relationship with pleasure: How is your relationship with pleasure? I believe I developed illness in my womb because I was unable to receive pleasure and instead was heavily in my masculine energies while working and giving to everyone else all of the time. I stopped playing, singing, dancing, and was just so serious all of the time thinking I had to be working or creating. My pleasure practice was also not great since I was so disconnected from my body. Having a pleasure practice is vital to our health and wellness as women. I suggest purchasing a yoni crystal wand and making pleasure a regular practice. I also began to massage my body while sending it love with precious oils, and ordered an organic yoni steaming set to clear out any imbalances in my yoni and womb. Pleasure is so much more than an orgasm—as a woman, we deserve to live a pleasurable life in all senses. Make time to sing, dance, read, write, and play—whatever your interests are.
I slowed the fuck down: If my body didn’t get sick, I think I could have worked all hours of the day minus a few hours of sleep. I love writing and creating, but balance and the ability to receive is simply so important. I prioritized self-care as if my life depended on it—because it kind of did. I journaled in the morning. I took baths. I meditated. I read in bed. I walked to work. I prayed over my food and disconnected from social media. I still very much do all of these things on the daily. You can do things the slow way—the feminine flow way—and still be successful and abundant.
How I *Finally* Healed My Body From Chronic Ovarian Cysts
Although I felt hopeful that I would find full healing (whatever that means) with the alternative therapies above—and I did find relief and soul expansion from all of them—I continued to develop ovarian cysts and experienced anxiety, burnout, panic, fatigue, and negative emotional affect. Through fall of 2020 and spring 2021, I decided to work with a functional doctor who specialized in ayurveda to get to the absolute bottom of why I continued to experience chronic ovarian cysts. Functional medicine takes a personalized approach that works to identify the root cause of illness. This approach involves examining physical health through testing, patient and ancestral health history, lifestyle, and emotional wellbeing.
After undergoing a range of testing including macro and micronutrient panels, cortisol levels, thyroid levels, inflammation levels, allergy presence, and gut testing, results revealed a wealth of imbalances, including a number of nutritional deficiencies, inflammation, high cortisol, gluten allergy, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and imbalance of gut bacteria, and more. To my doctor, the root cause of my hormone imbalance and chronic ovarian cysts came down to a lack of key nutrients and high cortisol and inflammation levels, which were all throwing off my entire system. She prescribed various supplements and created a meal plan aimed at balancing my vata energy.
But also according to my doctor, I was still missing a very important piece in my healing process: I was not living in my dharma. The root of my chronic high cortisol levels stemmed from the stress I felt around my job—despite my genuine love for it and my coworkers. It was simply the fact that I was living in NYC and putting all of my energy into something that was not my dharma that was causing my body to be sick in my ovaries, also known as the creative centers of the body and the representatives of the divine feminine essence. The stress was really the root cause, in the end.
It was not until I quit my job as a magazine editor in New York City and moved to Hawai’i to become a yoga instructor, reiki practitioner, and freelance writer that I was able to end my journey with developing chronic ovarian cysts, heal my adrenal fatigue, and balance my hormones. My lifestyle was making me sick for years, on top of being disconnected from nature, my body, and my dharma. With every cyst that I passed, I learned so much more about myself, how to take care of my body, and what I personally need to live a balanced, happy life. Instead of staying in the masculine energies of giving giving giving and going going going all of the time, I learned to embrace my feminine essence and nurture my body, receive pleasure, and create from a place of flow.
Why Having Chronic Ovarian Cysts Became My Greatest Gift
I recognize that I am so lucky that I came out of this on the other end. I have no idea if I will ever develop another cyst again, but since I moved to Hawai’i in March of 2021, I have had no indications of cyst or hormone imbalance. I spend my days singing, exploring nature, reading, writing, connecting with beautiful souls, practicing and teaching yoga, and honoring my yin. Developing chronic ovarian cysts became my biggest gift because it changed my entire perception of life, sent me straight into the depths of my soul to heal inner traumas, helped me face my greatest fears, and connected me deeper with God, my body, nature, and my dharma.
It was in fully surrendering into my experience, trusting my intuition to dive deeper into what my body was trying to tell me, and being brave enough to explore different methods of healing that I expanded into a more aligned, balanced, and authentic version of myself. As a freelancer writer, yoga instructor, and reiki practitioner, I am now the person I have always wanted to be, living in the most beautiful place in the world and doing what I love. I would have never had the courage to give up my former lifestyle and take a leap of faith into pursuing what I didn’t even recognize was my dream life.
I am not saying that I am fully healed—but I am inspired and ignited to continue to trust God and my body, to take leaps of faith into the unknown while answering my intuition’s guidance, and surrender into my fear and pain to expand deeper into myself. I am slowly peeling back the layers of my former self to embody my true organic essence. I am learning how to deprogram from being in my masculine and invite more pleasure, abundance, play, flow, and creativity in my life. I am giving up the need to have all of the answers and control every aspect of my life—instead I trust that God has my back.
Reconnect with Your Womb and Take Your Power Back
If you are experiencing chronic ovarian cysts, reproductive or hormonal issues, or any chronic illness in general, know that you are not alone and you do not have to feel disempowered and hopeless in your journey of healing. It is your body and your healing process, and it is ultimately up to you to take your healing into your own hands however you feel is best. Others may not understand what health, healing, and happiness looks like for you, but it is not up to them because they are not you.
Follow your intuition and continue to explore various avenues of healing. Try things you have not tried before. Embrace both eastern and western approaches. Find a support system of healthcare and holistic practitioners and loved ones that you can trust. Embrace the unknown and trust that God always has a plan, no matter what the outcome. In yoga, we would say to practice aparigraha—or non-attachment. Be present in the journey and not focused on the destination. Take everything day by day, moment by moment, and control what you can. Surrender into the rest. And love yourself extra hard.
Happiness, health, balance, and alignment are your birthright. If those are important to you, then make the necessary changes your intuition is guiding you towards so that you can find them. And again, it’s a journey, not a destination. I still do not know what the fuck I’m even doing every day, but I’m showing up and taking one step at a time. I hope you find happiness, health, balance, and alignment in your life. You truly deserve it.