Ovarian Cyst Rupture Discharge (Brown, Clear fluid, White): What’s Normal?

Question: Ovarian cyst rupture discharge – brown, clear or white, what’s normal and what’s not?

By about 15 years of age, many girls have already started having their period. If you have started your period, it usually means your ovaries have begun working and ovulation is happening or will soon start.

Ovulation comes with some changes and risks, although in most women these are benign and without any serious problems. One common result of ovulation is the presence of an ovarian cyst (usually a harmless, “functional” cyst that forms as part of the normal cycle).MedlinePlus+1

But then another question comes up: if an ovarian cyst ruptures, what will the discharge look like? What other symptoms will I have?

This article breaks down ovarian cyst rupture discharge to help you understand what brown, clear or white discharge might mean, and when you should see a doctor.

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How does an ovarian cyst occur?

Between two of your periods (your menstrual cycles), your body undergoes changes that result in the release of an egg from your ovaries. This is called ovulation and mainly occurs because of the effect of hormones.

Before ovulation, estrogen is particularly dominant and causes plenty of follicle in your ovaries to develop. As these follicles develop, only one grows very big and contains the egg to be expelled.

During ovulation, this “very big follicle” now breaks open and pushes the egg toward the fallopian tube.

Subsequently, after the release of the egg, the follicle forms the corpus luteum that aid the development of the endometrium by secreting progesterone and estrogen.

An ovarian cyst will occur when an ovarian follicle fails to break open and rather accumulates fluid making a cyst (follicular cyst). Also, an ovarian cyst may form if the corpus luteum fails to be absorbed and rather forms a cyst (corpus luteum cyst).Wikipedia+1

It’s possible that women may have a cyst that contains different kind of tissues – hairs, bone, and sometimes cartilage. This is known as a dermoid cyst. Another type of cyst is the endometrioma cyst that usually contains dark blood (“chocolate cyst”).Healthline+1

Depending on the kind of cyst, you may experience different symptoms. Many women that have a simple, functional cyst will not even show any symptoms, and in a lot of cases these cysts resolve on their own within 1–3 menstrual cycles without any treatment.ACOG

Nevertheless, some women may be unlucky when a cyst ruptures and releases its content into the abdomen. This may result in severe pain and may sometimes be a surgical emergency, especially if there is heavy internal bleeding or ovarian torsion.NCBI+1

This article explains the symptoms of an ovarian cyst, signs of a ruptured ovarian cyst, and what an ovarian cyst rupture discharge color means – brown, black, white and clear.

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What are the symptoms of an ovarian cyst?

An ovarian cyst in most women will not show any symptoms at all. In fact, in some women, cyst on the ovary is detected after an ultrasound scan for some other medical reason.MedlinePlus+1

Here’s an email I received from Emily

H Doc,

I have been trying to get pregnant for about 6 years after getting married. But its be unsuccessful. I was recently asked for an ultrasound scan for my doctor which reveals i have multiple cyst on my ovaries. Is this normal? Could it be the reason am yet to conceive?

Just like Emily, a lot of women will have a cyst and never even get to feel any symptoms. However, some women will be symptomatic and usually experience any of these signs

• Pain in one side of the abdomen or pelvis

• Pain while having sexual intercourse

• Vomiting

• Nausea

• Difficulty conceiving

• Irregular menstrual cycle

• Abdominal distention and bloating

• Severe abdominal pain after exercise

Some types of cysts (for example endometriomas or cysts linked to polycystic ovary syndrome) may be associated with difficulty conceiving, while many small, simple cysts are not.Mayo Clinic+1

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What are the symptoms of a ruptured ovarian cyst?

If you’ve been diagnosed with an ovarian cyst, there is a tendency that your cyst may grow big or burst open into your abdomen releasing its content. This can sometimes happen after sexual intercourse or a vigorous exercise, but it may also occur spontaneously without any clear trigger.Healthline+1

Symptoms of a ruptured ovarian cyst are

• Sharp pain on the lower, right or left side of your abdomen

• Dizziness

• Fast heart rate

• Light-headedness

• Fast breathing

• Fever

• Vaginal spotting or light bleeding that is not your usual periodHopkins Medicine

If a cyst that contains clear fluid ruptures, within a few days, your body usually absorbs its content and it does not require further treatment, as long as you are stable and the pain is settling.Bradford Teaching Hospitals+1

On the other hand, a dermoid cyst that contains different particles (hair, bones, and cartilages) or a hemorrhagic cyst (that contain blood) can result in sharp tummy pain and sometimes significant internal bleeding that may require surgery from your doctor.MyHealth Alberta+1

One other reason to worry is a large ovarian cyst that pulls your ovary and “twists it” thereby obstructing blood flow to your ovaries resulting in a sharp belly pain (ovarian torsion), which is an emergency.NCBI+1

If you’ve been diagnosed with a cyst, any sudden sharp pain, especially if it is severe or associated with feeling faint, heavy bleeding, fever or vomiting, should be communicated to your health care provider or emergency services immediately.Hopkins Medicine+1

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What causes ovarian cyst rupture discharge?

Ovarian cyst usually will go unnoticed a lot of times. However, if they rupture, you will experience pain in your abdomen and sometimes a new type of discharge or spotting.

Most of the fluid from a ruptured cyst stays inside the pelvis and is slowly absorbed by the body. In some women, irritation from this fluid or associated bleeding can also trigger light vaginal bleeding or a change in discharge that you notice on your pad or underwear.WebMD

Your ovaries are connected to your uterus through the fallopian tubes. If a cyst rupture and there is some bleeding from the uterus as well, this blood can pass through the cervix and be seen as vaginal discharge or spotting.

Depending on the content of the ruptured cyst, the volume and color of your discharge may change. Discharge alone, however, cannot tell you exactly what kind of cyst you had, so it should always be interpreted together with your symptoms and your doctor’s findings.

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What does ruptured ovarian cyst brown discharge mean?

Here’s another email I received from one of my readers

I need help as i feel something bad is happening. Last week i had severe pain in my belly and quickly informed my doctor about my problem. Turns out that i had an ovarian cyst rupture.

I was admitted for about 24 hours and asked to go home. But now, i see bloody discharge that sometime may be yellow. Is this normal or should i see my doctor again?

If you’ve had an ovarian rupture, it’s possible you may experience a brown discharge; Though there are many other reasons for brown spotting listed here.

This will occur in women that have had an endometriosis cyst, where tissue that usually covers the inner lining of the uterus and displaced to the ovaries and forms a cyst. Commonly, they are referred to as “Chocolate cyst”.

A chocolate cyst may vary in size and may be small or large and usually contains dark blood. This black colored blood, after the rupture of the cyst, will mix with your vaginal discharge and form a black, dark or brownish looking discharge.Hopkins Medicine

Brown discharge or spotting after a ruptured cyst usually represents a small amount of old blood. If the discharge becomes heavy, has a very bad smell, or is associated with fever, severe pain or feeling unwell, you should see your doctor urgently because this can suggest infection or heavier bleeding.nhs.uk

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What does ruptured ovarian cyst clear whitish discharge or fluid mean?

Most commonly, it’s possible you could have a cyst rupture without blood leaking into your abdomen.

If you have a ruptured cyst without any bleeding (clear fluid), you may notice a temporary increase in clear or whitish discharge, or very light spotting. Also, depending on the size of the cyst, vaginal discharge may be slightly more than normal for a few days, but many women will not notice any obvious change at all.WebMD+1

Any new discharge that smells bad, turns yellow or green, or comes with itching, burning or high fever is more suggestive of an infection (for example pelvic infection, STI or bacterial vaginosis) and should be checked by your doctor, even if you have a history of ovarian cysts.Healthline+1

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Worried about the color or volume of your discharge after a ruptured ovarian cyst? Let us know in the comments, and always talk with your doctor or gynecologist if you have sudden severe pain, heavy bleeding, fever, or feel dizzy or faint.