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A woman whose pain during sex was blamed by doctors on her partner's "too large" penis has had a 10.5-pound ovarian cyst removed from her abdomen with a gallon of fluid.
Raquel Rodriguez, 25, of Minnesota, went to doctors about the problem five years ago and said she also faced sudden attacks of pain.
Scans at the time revealed she had an 8cm-long cyst - or fluid-filled sac - on her ovary, about the size of a softball, but doctors said it did not need to be removed.
However, last year the cyst began to grow rapidly and eventually became so large that the preschool teacher appeared to be "pregnant." Friends even started asking her why she hadn't told them she was "expecting."
Rodriguez had a two-hour surgery at Memorial Hospital four weeks ago to remove the cyst and has recovered well enough to go grocery shopping a week later.
Rodriguez revealed the story on TikTok, saying the tumor had grown to 28cm in diameter - the maximum size for ovarian cysts.
She said that during the operation her right ovary and fallopian tube - where the cyst was - had to be removed, but that her left ones are still intact.
It wasn't clear what triggered the cyst, but Rodriguez said it may have been due to a urinary tract infection and sepsis she suffered from in 2017.
Raquel Rodriguez, 25 and from Minnesota, went to doctors about the problem five years ago and said she also faced sudden attacks of pain. She is pictured (left) before surgery and (right) after surgery
The ovarian cyst eventually grew to 11 inches in diameter and held one gallon of fluid, the equivalent of seven Gatorade bottles
Rodriguez is pictured above after surgery to remove the ovarian cyst. Four weeks later she says she is doing well
Rodriguez had the tumor removed during a two-hour procedure in Minnesota and was discharged a week later. The next day she went grocery shopping
Ovarian cysts form when a fluid-filled sac forms on the side of the ovaries, often during ovulation, when an egg is released.
They can also be caused by pelvic infections, hormonal problems and endometriosis - when tissue that normally lines the uterus grows outside of it.
Doctors say that overall, ovarian cysts are “very common” and usually go away without causing any symptoms.
But some types — like the mucinous cyst Rodriguez had — don't go away and can grow larger if not removed.
Symptoms of the condition include bloating, swelling and pain in the lower abdomen. In cases where they rupture, they can also cause severe pain.
Most women diagnosed with the cysts are offered painkillers and prescribed hormonal pills to regulate ovulation.
However, those with more severe forms of the condition are offered surgery to remove them.
Rodriguez described being rejected by doctors for surgery, saying she told a male medic she was in "excruciating pain."
She added: "He happened to be male and told me that the pain I was experiencing was probably because my partner was 'too big' and I should have 'shallower sex'.
Other doctors told her the pain was probably due to cramps or bloating and was nothing to worry about.
Rodriguez said even when the cyst was discovered, doctors weren't too worried and sent her home.
Dr. Taraneh Shirazian, the director of the Fibroid Center at NYU Langone Health in New York City, said TODAY they should have operated when they found the cyst.
"Mucous cysts do not resolve on their own like regular cysts, which typically come and go with a woman's menstrual cycle," she said.
“They either just hang on to the ovary and stay the same size, or they can grow – and they grow pretty quickly.”
Shirazian said doctors should be concerned about them if they are larger than 5 cm, but by the time Rodriguez was diagnosed it was already 8 cm.
Rodriguez said she typically has an "athletic" build and is quite "petite."
But around her 24th birthday - after being turned away by doctors - family members noticed she was starting to appear bloated.
When the cyst became quite large, she told TODAY: "I looked and felt pregnant.
"I was short of breath, bloated and had to pee all the time. People would ask me, 'When are you due?' I've had friends say, "I didn't know you were pregnant! Why didn't you tell me?"
“I’m laughing now, but it’s not really funny,” she said. “My hair was falling out, I was in a lot of pain and I was losing weight without trying.”
Days before her surgery, friends threw a "baby shower" to make light of the situation and put up a banner that read, "It's a cyst!" on.
After the surgery, Rodriguez said her stomach felt “small” and like a large weight had been removed.
About a week later, she was able to go to the supermarket again and run other errands.
In an update a week after the operation, she said: “I'm feeling really good, just going grocery shopping.
,So far, so good. They said there would be a lot of bloating and swelling because I still have a lot of fluid in me, but my body should absorb it and I should be fine.