Q Are chocolate cysts and endometriosis the same thing?
A A chocolate cyst is one form of endometriosis. When endometrial tissue settles on the ovary and bleeds month after month, the old blood thickens into a chocolate-colored cyst.
Detailed Answer
A chocolate cyst (endometrioma) is endometriosis that has formed on the ovary. When endometrial tissue bleeds repeatedly inside the ovary, the blood pools and forms a cyst that over time turns into a thick, chocolate-colored fluid. A ruptured cyst can cause acute intra-abdominal bleeding and become an emergency, so regular ultrasound follow-up is essential.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
At Dongjedang, we view a chocolate cyst as blood stasis (eohyeol) concentrated in the ovary. We use large-cone moxibustion and deep thermal therapy to loosen blood flow around the uterus and ovaries, and prescriptions in the Dohong-samul-tang family to disperse the stasis. When a cyst is large or shows signs of rupture, we immediately recommend an obstetrics and gynecology examination.
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